Deepest Red
by TomorrowForToday
Summary: Running from the past to escape herself and what the world has made her, a young girl must fight. Hiding from the future that may take everything she loves, she must be brave and burn away the fear. She must seek the deepest red to rid her of the ghosts on her tail and replace the coldness in her heart with fire.
1. Chapter 1: Off With a Bang

1: Off With a Bang

Running was all she knew.

If there was even the slightest chance of failure. Run.

Escape the scars of the future before they have the chance to bleed.

It was the most she could do to survive, bravery only ended in pain. Regret. The realization that everything would have just been better if she didn't try in the first place. Although even that had begun to fail her. How long had it been? 8 months? A year? Life had seemed free since she escaped the grasp of societal expectation all that time ago. She thought back to when she first broke the chains and breathed the air with a new look at the world and what her life could be.

* * *

 _Tears streamed down the girl's face as she nearly ran through the halls of Ashinaka High School. After all those years, so close to graduating and leaving forever, and she finally just couldn't take it any longer. Misery followed her in those halls, tragedy its counterpart. Those who weren't afraid of her hated her. Those who loved her only wanted something from her and she had forgotten what family was. What comfort was._

 _The other students barely glanced at her, not that she was ashamed of her tear streaked face, soon it wouldn't make a difference and it would be like they had never existed. She had to get out of there no matter the cost. Not a single person stopped to ask if she was alright… although she probably would have knocked them into next week if they had._

 _The last trip to her room took only seconds as she grabbed the only things she needed, already staged by the door. The last bit of money she had, the rest wasted on people she had hoped would someday consider her a friend, seemed to weigh ten times more in her pocket than the shiny, black violin case strapped across her back and skateboard in her hands. She barely glanced at the door as it slammed behind her with a sense of finality._

 _As she eventually made the trek across the huge campus, only one teacher on a short break called out to her. Although he shrunk back with an expression depicting near terror as she glared through his skull into the deepest depths of his truest fears. Before she knew it, she was standing before the immense bridge leading to freedom._

 _Her first step was launching her PDA into the freezing ocean that seemed to never end, touching the horizon in the most delicate of lines where later, hours from now, the sun would paint the world in infinite shades of red._

* * *

Red like her blood. Red like her name. Red like her vision as her feet pounded down the sidewalk, weaving between pedestrians and cars as she clung to the hope of future. Several months ago, she would have just turned and faced her pursuers head on, but several months ago was another lifetime. The fight had left her after that, although she still seemed to be in constant pursuit of danger and excitement. Anything to distract from her miserable existence.

She felt her side begin to cramp up and grimaced, internally yelling at herself not to be such a weakling, keep moving. Because as she heard the safety of a gun being clicked off, there was no way she would stop now.

Not even for the crowd of people leisurely walking down the sidewalk towards her. Her eyes widened in panic, there was nowhere to go. They were the only ones around besides the armed men chasing her and the cars blocking her from avoiding them by running into the street. The only escape was an alley just in front of the group, and as she heard one of the guns being cocked she realized if she took this route one of these innocents would be shot and possibly die.

Unfortunately for them they hadn't spotted her yet, and unfortunately for them she was in the mental state that would lead to their pain over hers.

A large, blond man, much taller than her and walking at the front of the group was most likely to be shot, so she wasn't too worried. It looked like he could take it. However, as one of the other men stretched their shirt moved to reveal a distinct black mark on their chest and her breath got caught in her throat.

 _Well… Shit._

And as she spun around at the last second to face what she had been running from, a loud bang echoed in the air and her left shoulder, right in front of the large man's heart, burst into a blossom of red, radiating pain throughout her entire body.

She barely had the chance cry out in pain as she clutched the wound, knees hitting the asphalt with a thump, before the group behind her burst into action.

The large man took a protective stance while a more weak-looking young man and a small child stood a way behind him, but if another bullet was fired they were in plain view. A chestnut-haired boy about her own age took down the first man and the last member of the party she tried to protect, with dark sunglasses and a black baseball cap went after the second.

As she looked over at the hole in her soaked sweater she internally swore. That sweater had lasted ages and she had grown rather sentimental towards it. She still remembered making the purchase all that time ago.

* * *

 _The young girl took the final step off the bridge, refusing to take the train or ride her skateboard so she could take in every moment and not rush into her new life. It didn't matter that she had nowhere to go, no one to rely on and no one to rely on her. In fact, that was what she had counted on the most. There was just one problem though, and she bit her lip as she looked down at the only clothing she owned, which just so happened to be the uniform that she hated from the school she hated._

 _Diving into the first clothing store she saw that looked like it would at least be cheap if not fashionable, her eyes lit up with the newfound realization that she could finally wear what she wanted. It took her not even 5 minutes to grab her new outfit and pay. She bit her lip at the register, realizing the chunk this would take out of her limited funds._

" _Shouldn't you be in school right about now, kid?" She looked up at the cashier, raising her eyebrow at him as if she was daring him to keep talking._

" _Nope." Although she may have seemed like a sweet, innocent schoolgirl, the moment she felt threatened in any way would be the moment the person making assumptions would realize their mistake. The cashier shut his mouth immediately and turned his gaze away from her piercing eyes, muttering a quick "Thank you" as he handed her bag over._

 _Making an executive decision, she ducked into one of the changing rooms in the store and soon emerged feeling better and more comfortable than she had in almost 4 years. If he hadn't just given her clothes to her, the cashier probably wouldn't have recognized the girl. Wearing a black hoodie and light blue jeans with red converse, the air she carried was nearly threatening and it was almost impossible to picture her back in that school skirt. She looked at ease and like a complete rebellious teenager with her skateboard and violin case, especially since she had let her hair down to cascade over her shoulders and back in smooth waves._

 _The cashier was completely taken aback at her new appearance and nearly forgot to throw a "Have a nice day!" in her direction. She walked out the door, throwing one hand up in a peace sign without looking back, something she had begun to enjoy more and more. The last thing she did that finally put a satisfied smile on her face, tears now long gone, was throw the bag with her uniform into a trash can out on the sidewalk._

* * *

It only took a moment for her to regain her breath and stumble to her feet, her being used to pain like that. She was only thankful the bullet didn't go through her shoulder and penetrate the member of HOMRA. Although, as if her day could get any worse, she spotted the third man chasing after her pull out another gun.

"LOOK OUT!" She screamed as soon as she could, already realizing it was too late. And once again she made the idiotic decision to take the second bullet for the gang members too, blocking it from the man standing with the young girl in the back. This time she wasn't so lucky to get hit in the shoulder as the bullet hit her on the left side in the middle of the ribcage, filling her lung with blood and making her choke on the crimson liquid, spitting some onto the ground.

Her sweater was definitely ruined.

Through clouded vision she saw the HOMRA guys take out the last of the gunners and confiscate their weapons. Finally able to relax as much as she could with 2 bullets in her, her knees buckled and she realized she wouldn't be standing back up for quite a while. The large man caught her shoulders just before she was able to fall forward into a faceplant and he held her head against his shoulder as they knelt on the ground.

She knew blood was probably staining his jacket as it flowed from her shoulder and dripped down her chin. She internally apologized, knowing any effort to try and speak right then would make her feel like she was drowning in agony for sure. All she could do was look over the man's shoulder into warm brown eyes. The eyes of the man who would have taken the bullet in her lung if she hadn't.

"Hey, it's fine. We won't hurt you, we're getting some help now. You're gonna be just fine." She tried to give a smile, but she knew it looked pathetic and showed that she obviously didn't believe him. "Hey, don't give me that look, you are." After a pause he continued, "Y'know, that was a really brave thing you did." Sirens began to sound in the distance and she knew the paramedics would be there soon. She attempted to give a sigh of relief but instead went into a coughing fit. Tears began to run down her face from the pain and the man talking to her donned a worried, almost panicked look. "Hey hey hey, it's fine, you're fine. They're almost here. You just need to stay with us for a moment longer." She tried to glare at him, honestly slightly annoyed at his rambling. He seemed to be more worried about her than she was, although that may have been in part because of the tunnel vision taking over and her sudden inability to think clearly. The last thing she saw before losing consciousness completely was 3 new pairs of worried eyes trying to speak to her, reassure her, thank her, and she knew she was safe.

* * *

 _Darkness swallowed the world. It was cold and lonely. The only being that could be seen emitted no warmth. No comfort at all. Everything was silent but the distant sound of a liquid dripping to the ground, like a leaky faucet asking to be fixed. As the being approached, it was more apparent that it was a young boy. He was dressed in a school uniform and had light brown hair covering his eyes. No smile adorned his lips, nor a frown. Nothing. He was blank. Blank like the darkness. It was not set apart from him, but rather ebbed and flowed around him. His aura, so dark and desolate that no light could penetrate it._

 _He raised an arm and pointed before him, expressionless still._

" _You did this to me. You murderous bitch. You never even looked back." Lips peeled back, creating an impossibly wide grin, revealing piercingly white teeth that could cut through a soul. The dripping intensified into a steady pour as a stream of blood flowed from his outstretched arm, a deep gash making its way from his wrist into his sleeve at his elbow. "And you. Will. Pay."_

 _Suddenly his eyes flashed open to reveal blank, bright white orbs to match his teeth. And as suddenly as he appeared he vanished, taking his darkness with him and replacing it with a blindingly white light._

* * *

 **A/N: Hey guys, so that's the beginning isn't it. I've had this story in my head for a while no so I just decided to finally sit down and just write, y'know?**

 **Just a heads up, the timeline here may be kinda screwy or weird but just bear with me. I think the point of fanfiction is to be able to make the story you want to see rather than just recreate what the world has already seen. So just bear with me and I promise it will be worth your while. Maybe in the next chapter we'll even learn our protagonist's name lmao.**

 **I'm so glad to be able to get this started, see you all later ;)**


	2. Chapter 2: The Whitest Walls

2

She jumped awake and immediately regretted it. Hissing in pain that bathed her left side in fire, blinding light captured her vision.

A gentle hand was suddenly on her shoulder trying to push her back down. But this only made her struggle more.

A soothing voice spoke from the brightness, "Shhh, calm down and let your eyes adjust. There's no more fluid in your lung but you still shouldn't push it."

She tried to relax for a moment, which was certainly no easy feat, and the world soon came into focus. The sounds of humming and beeping machines, the smell of bleach and antiseptics, the taste of dried blood on her tongue, and now she could see calm yet uncaring eyes peering down on her. A hospital. Again.

 _Yay._

* * *

 _The heart monitor slowly beeped beside her. There was blood everywhere and she felt like a scarlet stain in this purified new world of white. But the blood could never be washed away by the tears leaking down her face. This was a place of plague. Of death. Of inescapable fate and grief and futures that would never be seen. This was a tomb and those within the reapers of souls. She wanted nothing more than to escape. To get out of there with him before they could add his name to their list. His memories to their collection. She had to get out of this hell and never return._

* * *

"You've been out for two days, it really was quite a hit you took there. Your friends have been worried sick about you, I practically had to throw them out an hour ago to get lunch. Such a rowdy group."

The patient's brows furrowed in confusion. Friends? She lived in an alley with rats and a violin in desperate need of a tune... she didn't have friends.

Sensing her confusion, the nurse chimed in, "I know it seems like a long while, but I'm sure you'll catch up in no time. Oh, and by the way, I set your clothes over in the corner. You shouldn't be leaving for a while now and they're pretty beat up, but I wasn't sure what you'd want done with them."

The injured girl looked to where the nurse was gesturing, and she saw her clothes all folded and stacked on a shelf. She nodded her thanks in silence, still not wanting to speak in fear of the pain that would follow.

"Well I just gave you a bit more pain medication, it shouldn't make you too sleepy, but it'll certainly help. Let someone know if you need anything at all." And with that the nurse strode out the door.

 _Well a shower might be nice_ she thought with a roll of her eyes.

After she was certain thee nurse was gone, the girl sat up and threw her legs over the side of the uncomfortable hospital bed. She immediately hissed in pain but bit her lip and told herself to get over it.

She took in her appearance, filthy skin with matted blood in her hair and only a paper gown to cover her. There was no way she would be staying like this for any longer.

One foot after the other, she slowly gained some balance and walked over to the large window, peering out. Her eyes widened, and she immediately began internally swearing like a sailor. Not even a block away was the same group she nearly died protecting, except this time they had even more gang members on their tail, lunch in tow.

Without skipping a beat, she snatched up the stack of clothing and rushed as quickly as she could into the bathroom across the hall. She did her best not to look at or disturb her wounds as she slowly put on her clothes. Even after he was so careful, though, she still had to lean against the door to catch her breath.

As she panted and sweat dripped down her forehead from the effort, she knew immediately that HOMRA had arrived. Laughter sounded from outside and he could pick out a playful argument. Overall, it seemed like the entire floor was filled with a familial warmth. Her heart sort of ached and she briefly considered actually confronting them. After all, the nurse had said they were worried about her, that they had watched over her for the last two days.

Those thoughts were immediately smothered as she reminded herself that friends... that family... was only a liability. In fact, she wasn't even fully convinced it existed in the first place.

She bit her lip and put an ear to the door, not daring to show herself just yet. She knew they would at least try to stop her and she refused to get back in that bed. The problem was that she could have never hurt them. She would never be able to fight back. So all she could do was avoid them.

Which could become a problem now that the whole world outside that door seemed to go silent. The warmth that she could once feel radiate through the door disappeared and sent a chill down her spine. Then it flared back, burning in anger, forcing her to back away to the far wall.

"NURSE!"

And suddenly the world she couldn't see burst to life. Footsteps dashed into the room and others out, no doubt searching for her. An argument immediately sparked up in her old room across the hall.

"No, I swear she was here just a minute ago, sir. I was there speaking with her when she woke up and..."

The nurse went quiet and an angry, more masculine one spoke up, "Well? She couldn't have just walked out of here. She has two bullet holes in her for fuck's sake!"

"Sir, please calm down, we'll do everything we can to find her. And I think that's exactly what happened. Look, her clothes were right over here, and she didn't exactly seem like a weak girl. If she really wanted to I'm sure she could have just made a run for it. It isn't uncommon for patients to have negative feelings towards hospitals, and they try to leave before they are ready on a daily basis."

The other voice was slightly quieter now, but had a sinister edge, almost a growl, to it. She could barely make out enough to tell they were going to call security. She was officially being hunted down. Only a moment later she heard all the footsteps fade and it was quiet again. No doubt all personnel were looking for her.

She threw the hood of her sweater up and with a deep breath, trying to ignore the holes left by the bullets, pushed open the door.

Only nearly run into a man casually leaning on the wall next to it. A very intimidating man who gave off such a powerful aura that he was no doubt HOMRA. Towering about 6 inches above her with bold red hair, a very masculine build, and an unlit cigarette in his mouth, this was exactly the kind of person she wanted to avoid. Not only were his kin hunting for her, but he could no doubt incapacitate her in a split second, especially considering her current state. If she hadn't been on the run she may have even stopped to realize she actually found him attractive, but at the moment all she could think about was punching him in the face and getting the hell out of there.

She ducked her head further into her hood and tried to get by him with only a mumbled apology. But she froze, realizing such actions wouldn't fly.

"Leaving so soon?"

The girl obviously stiffened and her eyes widened, although her back was turned so he was unable to see. His expression remained impassive but amber eyes turned towards her.

"I have no reason to stay," she got the words out from between gritted teeth.

"Pretty rude... not even letting them thank you."

She spun around and met his warm eyes with her piercing blue, almost bright grey ones with defiance and unwavering resolve. "They have no reason to. I was just repaying a debt, so we're even now." She turned away and pulled her hood back up for good measure. "You can just let me go."

She heard him speak under his breath, "I doubt he'll see it that way," and she rolled her eyes. All she cared about was getting away from whoever _he_ was. He spoke up just one more time. "Name." It wasn't a question, but rather a demand and she figured it was the least she could give to the man who was letting her run yet again.

Even as she got closer and closer to the door of the stairwell, just out of reach, she turned her head over her shoulder with a small smile from the side of her mouth.

"Akane Hane." And the door gently closed behind her after a simple nod of acknowledgement from Mikoto Suoh. That was not a name he would be forgetting any time soon.

* * *

 _Those brilliant red wings may carry you far but I am on your back. No matter where you run, I will follow. No matter where you hide, I see you in plain sight. We are the same. And the only way to escape me is to escape yourself._

 _Do your worst._

* * *

 **A/N: Hey so I know this chapter is a bit shorter but they probably will be if I'm going to be updating so often. If it takes longer then it's because the chapter will be longer so you'll always have something to look forward to ^^ Hope you enjoy this, it really should be picking up soon so YAY**


	3. Chapter 3: Crimson Claws

3: Crimson Claws

Akane Hane, the criminal on the run. The black sheep in these white walls. A patient escaping treatment. And a stupid girl who felt like she would die after carefully trotting down only 2 flights of stairs.

She had 8 more.

"I'm... such... an... idiot..." she panted as she leaned against the railing, wheezing and trying not to trigger a coughing fit. She had been asleep for two days and suddenly she just _decided_ it was time to up and start running around like a stray cat chasing a mouse through the streets of Shizume. She couldn't just put up with sitting in a clean bed, something she hadn't even seen for nearly a year, for just a few hours or even another day. "Not like I can go back now…" she grimaced and took another step forward.

After taking a slower, more relaxed pace to keep up with her healing body for a few steps, Akane froze where she stood. Footsteps were coming nearer from a couple flights below her. Then a security radio went off, sending the static and muffled words echoing through the stairwell. Her eyes widened in alarm. While he obviously wasn't a member of HOMRA, so he wouldn't recognize her on sight, the guard must've at least been looking for her. Her gaze turned to the holes in her sweater and she quietly cursed at how obvious her identity was. She couldn't at least have _tried_ for a disguise of some kind?!

She took a few shaky breaths to calm herself down, there was no way she was escaping this one. So, rather than just showing off the bullet holes to her pursuer, she casually leaned against the railing and brought her left hand up behind her neck, hiding anything suspicious at a first glance. Albeit with a wince at the angle her torn up shoulder was in. She proceeded to pull her hood down and fish a random scrap of paper out of her pocket, feigning an innocent, slightly confused expression while examining it like it was a map to fricken Atlantis.

 _If this doesn't work, I'll just have to throw him over the railing or something... so it had better fucking work._

But as the man came into view all nervous thoughts disappeared and she scoffed at herself.

 _Of course it'll work._

* * *

 _Their lungs burned in the best way. Their legs pumped with an intensity only found at the height of one's youth. And their nearly maniacal laughter filled the crisp night air. Happiness took many strange forms in her life, and this was one of them. Loud and rebellious and new, nothing could make Akane happier._

 _Flashlights waved a short distance behind them and adults shouted to deaf ears, "Oi, get back here you brats!" This only caused their laughing to intensify. It caused Akane to wonder if this was where her life took a turn for the better. Maybe it was her turn to trust and smile and just... be free. All she knew for sure though was that if she wanted to keep this in her life, it wouldn't just fall in her lap. She had to fight for it no matter what. She couldn't let it go. Not again._

 _Her piercing eyes penetrated the darkness for a moment and an idea developed in her mind in a split second. "Guys, this way!" She whispered as loud as she could so the people around her could hear while the security guards chasing them couldn't. At least one member in the group seemed skeptical at first but without having any better ideas, they all followed her towards one of the school buildings._

" _Hane, this isn't going to work, they'll find us. If we get caught we'll be suspended for sure." A dark haired boy with glasses and a more skittish demeaner than the others eventually whispered back as he saw where they were headed. She only laughed back with a glint in her eyes and a flashing smile dancing on her lips._

" _Don't you trust me? Of course it'll work."_

* * *

"Ma'am, are you alright, do you need any assistance?" She bit her lip and shot an innocent look towards the officer, now facing her only a few feet away. With the left hand still behind her neck as her only disguise she gave a small nervous laugh and shoved the paper back in her pocket.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, this may seem ridiculous but I'm not quite sure where to go. I'm looking for room S2-11, if you could just point me in the right direction that would be amazing." She emphasized amazing and turned her eyes up to the ceiling while she said it to pass off the 'clueless teenage girl' look even further. Luckily the guard seemed to fall for it, not even hesitating to answer.

"Of course, ma'am, I'd be happy to help. I can see how easy it must be for a young lady such as yourself to get so turned around." She bit back a sneer and instead smiled back politely, praying that she would be able to maintain her composure without _actually_ throwing this creep over the stairs. Although that option was becoming more and more appealing. "You've actually come up too far, all of the S8 rooms are on this level. If you go through the door over there," he gestured to the stairwell exit, "and then take the third left there will be an elevator that will take you right down to the second floor. Got it?"

"Yes, sir, thank you very much for the help, don't know what I would've done if you hadn't come along," Akane threw in a sickeningly fake laugh just for good measure and the guard gave a satisfied smile back, sure he was exceeding all levels of perfection in doing his job. _Dumbass._ "I've got it from here now I think, you look very busy, so I'll just be on my way. Thank you again!"

As she walked by him, she placed her right hand on his shoulder for just a moment and dropped her left one now that he could no longer see the cavities in her shirt. One more step and the smile dropped off her face into a satisfied smirk as she opened the door to the 8th floor. It seemed quiet and mostly unpopulated, save for patients and only a couple of very focused doctors tending to them. There was no way they would be bothering to look for a pathetic runaway, they actually had important things to do after all.

Akane flipped her hood back up and the smirk increased to nearly a grin as she tossed the security guard's keys in her left hand, very pleased with her accomplishments.

* * *

 _I told you it would work._

 _She held the door open and ushered her newfound friends into the supply room in one of the school's side buildings. The lights from the guards seemed to be getting closer and closer and she was worried they wouldn't make it. Right in time, she shut the door on them, and then she was hidden within the pitch-black room._

 _And then she was tripping. And then falling. And then yelping like an idiot as she landed on her face, on something that definitely was NOT the cold, hard ground. A slight_ oof _sounded below her and she knew exactly what happened. She heard feet moving around and a slightly panicked girl's voice called out, "Is everyone alright? What was that?" right as the boy with glasses found a light switch._

 _Only to reveal her lying on top of another member of their group, face bright red as their eyes met. Her breath hitched in her throat as she tried to apologize for falling on him, but all he said was, "Jesus, we actually got away." He wasn't even flustered at their current position. HOW WAS HE NOT FLUSTERED?!_

 _She just glared at him for a split second, irritated at how nonchalant he always was while simultaneously trying to ignore all the shades of browns flickering in his eyes or the way her hair gently brushed against his smiling cheeks... she shook her head to clear it of all this stupid nonsense that was clouding it. "Yeah well, I told you it would work," she finally got words out as she clambered off of him and offered him a hand up, trying to act like nothing had happened. It didn't help that their whole group was staring at them open mothed from the scene._

 _Making eye contact with the other girl in the room, who raised an eyebrow and shot an irritatingly suggestive look at her, Akane huffed and rolled her eyes, regaining composure and stalking to the back of the supply room._

* * *

She finally reached the elevator room and examined the ring of keys she held from the poor gullible security guard. Humming a tune to herself, she eventually found the one that gained her entry to the security-only elevator. Even if there were cameras inside no one would get to her in time to stop her from going anywhere.

Stepping inside, she hit the button to the ground level and her hum evolved into a relaxed whistle. Because escaping a hospital with a fire breathing gang of delinquents after her was just something she did every day. Obviously normal. Totally.

Her eyes closed as she listened to the beep of the elevator as the numbers slowly reached 1. She was almost out... so so _so_ close. She just had to steady her breathing, because realistically anything could be awaiting her outside of those doors.

But as her eyes slid open with them she took in a breath of relief as only an empty hallway greeted her. _Are there no people in this hospital?!_ Not that she was complaining, but she had to admit it seemed rather odd.

She left he elevator tentatively, being as inconspicuous as possible in case someone decided to jump out of a wall at her. They keys slightly jingled in her pocket but she decided to hang onto them, after all she never knew when she may need them again.

Okay. Fine. So maybe she was a bit of a hoarder. Just get over it already.

To her happy surprise, there was a door leading directly to outside air and freedom on the left of the very same hallway. Although, to her unhappy one it was rigged to trigger a fire alarm. Quickly inspecting the directly surrounding area, Akane came to the conclusion that this was regretfully her only way out. She took a breath and bit her lip before she pushed it open. _Maybe it wouldn't go off?_

The immediate ringing in her ears said otherwise as she stepped out onto the sidewalk, picking up a brusque pace in slight panic. Which quickened to a painful run as she glanced to her right.

At the end of the building, about 50 yards away, was about half of the group of HOMRA members, including the guy with chestnut colored hair from those few days ago. Their eyes widened as they met hers, although she was shrouded by her hood, and as she saw them take their first running steps towards her she burst into a sprint.

It felt like a run into hell, her left side lighting up in burning pain that she had no choice but to push to the back of her mind. She had to get away. She had to be faster. Even if faster would feel like it was burning her into oblivion.

With the gang members on her tail she weaved through alleys and traffic until she got to a very familiar part of the city. She would have barked out a laugh if she wasn't borderline dying as she made a couple of very specific turns before realizing she would actually get away from them. Bending down and outstretching an arm, she grabbed her violin and threw down the skateboard mid-run, hopping on it and pushing off down the street. She put the strap of the instrument case over her right shoulder so it wouldn't irritate her side and she caught her breath for a moment.

Unfortunately, this moment was short lived as the world decided it wasn't done ruining her day. Or week. Or month for that matter.

She cried out, nearly screamed in pain as she was tackled off her skateboard from her right side to crash into a wall with her left. The board rolled off and she barely heard it slam into a trash can over the ringing in her ears. She felt a new contusion find itself a home all over her arm and back while a cut just above her forehead dripped red liquid into her eye. She coughed in pain and felt more blood soak her shoulder, her stitched had obviously been torn open. She was _so close_ too. So close.

She blinked and looked angrily upon her newfound enemies, trying to get a good look at their faces. Her glare only intensified as she immediately recognized them. Attempting to keep the tears out of her eyes or her cries from escaping her lips, one of the two goons surrounding her, the one who had tackled her, wrenched her up by the arm. The left arm. I mean why make it slightly easier for her not to want to kill herself.

"Well if it isn't our lovely little Hyoshu," said a thinner, slimier looking man. "Now tell me, what nasty business have you sunk your claws into this time, darling?" The last word was said with such sickly, oily venom that it made Akane sick to her stomach. The large man held her, arms pinned behind her back, while the other stood by the more weak-looking leader.

"Well why don't you let me go and I'll _show_ you, Takeshi dearest." Her eyes attempted to burn holes in him so he could experience at least close to the same amount of pain she was at that moment. She strained against the arms holding her back, wishing she had just stayed in that _damn hospital_. Then none of this would be happening.

The man decided to take a step closer to her, a sneer gracing his already disgusting features, making it apparent that he thought he had won this fight. That he thought she would go down this easily. He leaned down, "Only in your wildest dreams would you be lucky enough for that to happen. I know perfectly well what your capable of." Her eyes flashed towards him at that comment in warning. Warning that he would no doubt ignore. "Plus, kitten, you owe me." He leaned his face close enough to hers that their noses were nearly touching and she could smell his putrid breath. "And I have come to collect," he whispered.

Which led to directly being headbutt in the nose with all the force Akane had left in her. Takeshi reeled back in pain with a pathetic cry, clutching his nose as blood gushed out of it and fury filled his eyes with tears.

He brought his hand back as the other bodyguard helped in restraining the girl as she thrashed in violent outrage.

"I owe you nothing!" She yelled at the top of her lungs.

As he brought his fist down he shouted back, "You owe me everything you stupid bit-" and with yet another shout of surprise and pain, he was suddenly gone from the wounded teen's view. Her mouth snapped shut and she blinked in surprise.

"What the heck was tha-" She also yelped as she stumbled forward, the presences that once restrained her suddenly disappearing. Once she regained her balance she was able to take in the scene, making her eyes widen and her mouth open ever so slightly in shock.

The same HOMRA guys she had been running from only moments ago had her enemies pinned to the ground. Takeshi was completely knocked out, having taken a few blows to the face by the same chestnut-haired boy Akane kept seeing, and one of his goons, Jomei, lay only a few feet beside him under another gang member. The last man, Shotaro, was developing a bruise on his right cheek with his newly split lip, but was slowly backing off down the alley in surrender.

He directed a hostile look in her direction, but to her surprise it was turned elsewhere as someone suddenly stepped in front of her protectively. It was the big blond man who she had made her shoulder bleed for, and her brows furrowed in confusion. What were they doing? Why were they here? She knew for a fact there were much more important things HOMRA could be tending to, to why protect a lowly street rat like herself.

As he back away with hands slightly raised, Shotaro boldly called back to them, "You had better watch out for that little bitch. We may call her a crimson leopard, but keep in mind that Hyoshu can just as easily mean chaos." And with that last remark he turned and fled.

Leaving her to face the people who had saved her life... again. Which was exactly what she had been trying to avoid this whole time.

* * *

 _Try to fight something you can't touch. Try to erase a part of your past. Just try to change your future. If you even attempt to escape me, everyone around you will suffer._

 _But don't worry... even though they scream I promise to laugh. Just for your sake._

* * *

 **A/N: Hey, sorry it's been a few days! Had a lot of rehearsal for band finals, but now that we're done I have plenty of time to write :) In fact I stayed up for like 3 extra hours to finish this for you guys lol you're welcome. I really hope you enjoyed this new chapter, and I'll try to have the next one done for you asap**


	4. Chapter 4: Echoes of a Name

4

She leaned against the dirty wall enclosing the alleyway, cradling her left arm. Blood dripped down the side of her face and off her chin and she futilely tried to wipe at it. Akane looked at the men before her not quite with malice, but with slight warning if not standoffishness. Her mind was cloudy and her entire body was blanketed in pain. Her eyes were half closed, trying to concentrate and ease the ache of her screaming thoughts. She had no idea what to expect for once, the future was blank and unpredictable, and to be honest she was scared out of her mind.

Her eyes turned to the filth covered ground and she took a few deep breaths, trying not to throw up or pass out. "You didn't have to do that..." She coughed slightly after quietly getting the words out.

Only to feel a heat flare up in front of her, she could barely make out the chestnut hair and beanie through her blurry vision. "AND YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO GO RUNNING OFF LIKE AN IDIOT!" She winced at the volume, not so much the words, as it pierced her head, vaguely noting that the voice sounded... familiar. Not just from the hospital but from another time. As ridiculous as it seemed she had to wonder, did she know him?

"Hey, hey don't yell. She's been through a lot recently without you making a big deal like that." Akane jumped as a hand gently rested on her shoulder from behind her. It was the light-haired man who had been with the little girl before. After hearing his words her eyes immediately downcast once again.

"No, he has every right to," she coughed, "This is all my fault, I inconvenienced you even after I repaid my debt. You should have left me." Her voice was raspy after running and yelling as she had.

The man's brow furrowed, "Well, I don't know anything about a debt, but you look like you need a safe place to rest." He looked up to the large man who had been shielding Akane before with a smile, "Let's take her back to the bar."

Her eyes widened in panic and she tried to take a step away, "No no no no, you shouldn't do that. I can't. I really couldn't intrude like that, not me. Not me." She looked away and rubbed her arm nervously, refusing to make eye contact.

The man just waved her off, "You're not intruding on anything." He shot a quick look to the guy who had been yelling before, who immediately shut his mouth. Then a thoughtful, yet nonthreatening look came to his eyes. "And it doesn't seem like you have anywhere to go where those wounds will heal up safely."

Her eyes shot up to his and he could see the slight fear lacing them. She was afraid of them, this girl who had seemed so strong only moments before, she was afraid. But it couldn't have really been of him... so what?

"Could you at least tell us your name?" Her mouth shut and her eyes went blank. It didn't seem like she would be doing any more talking for a while. "Ok, ok that's fine. At least come with us for a little while. We promise not to hurt you, you'll be safe. And you can leave as soon as you're all healed up."

The thought was quite appealing to her. All these people, they seemed so warm. None of them looked related yet they were so obviously a family. Could it hurt? Could it truly hurt her to trust them for a moment? It was something she wasn't used to but maybe for once it was worth the risk. Plus, if they just killed her once she was somewhere convenient than at least she wouldn't be suffering any longer anyway.

She gave a slight nod and immediately his eyes lit up and he clapped his hands together. "Off we go then," he said cheerily.

Akane heard a new voice grumble, "I don't see why you're so ecstatic about this, Tatara-san."

"I just feel like she's going to be a very important person to us, and that we should protect her." She looked at this man, Tatara, in confusion. How could she possibly be worth anything? She was just a street rat. She had no idea why this Tatara guy would think something like that, but she did come to an official conclusion about him... he was actually crazy.

She limped along and realized in a panic that the blurriness in her eyes was getting worse. Words became muffled and the warmth of the blood on her face began to fade to the back of her aching mind. The world began to spin around her and the nausea came back full swing.

She stumbled a bit and had to lean on the man beside her, the large blonde on again. _She really had to learn his name already._ He looked down with concern in his eyes, "Are you ok, Miss?" She barely had time to shake her head before her eyes rolled back and she completely lost consciousness.

* * *

Quiet settled in the room. Glasses sparkled and tables shone from hours of excessive cleaning. Everything was as it should be. Calm, organized, perfect, and rid of any traces of the more lively members of HOMRA. The bar was open, but it was early enough in the day that no costumers would be wandering in.

Kusanagi took a moment to appreciate the stillness around him, something he had enjoyed for the past couple of days to visit that girl Tatara continuously spoke of. The only other person in the room was Mikoto, who hadn't said a word since he arrived about twenty minutes ago. He just sat on the couch quietly smoking a cigarette. The bartender finished polishing the last glass and set it on its shelf, admiring his work and taking a deep breath of satisfaction.

"It's about time we get some peace and quiet in here, huh Mikoto?" His king grunted in acknowledgement from where he sat.

And that was when the front door burst open to let in chaos, blood, and most importantly, noise that could burst a heavy-duty dosimeter.

All of the guys were yelling, crowding around Kamamoto who seemed to be carrying something. Yata seemed the most freaked out, shouting questions and trying to order them around, but no one was listening. Not that they could make out his words over there own anyway. Kusanagi tried to get a look at what disrupted his peaceful afternoon but couldn't see through the group of frenzied bodies. Tatara broke away from them to speak briefly with his king, an unworried smile on his face unlike the others who barged in with him.

Mikoto silently nodded and stood up and moved to the chair across from them to watch the scene unfold, allowing Tatara to wave Kamamoto over. As he started to move towards the couch, the flustered bartender froze as he saw what was in his arms. Or rather, _who_ was being carried, with her right arm dangling and head hanging with blood covering her face. He had gone to see her in the hospital, so he knew who she was even if he didn't have a name for her face.

He stepped around the bar, confused. Shouldn't she still be in the hospital? What were all those new wounds? He automatically found himself irritated with the guys crowding her. _What the hell did you all do this time?!_ He finally decided to voice one of the many questions swimming through his mind, "What is she doing here?!"

Tatara turned towards him, his smile still standing out in the situation. He waved a hand like this was completely normal and there was nothing to worry about. "It's fine, it's fine. She just passed out from blood loss on the way here, that's all."

Kusanagi froze. What the heck was wrong with this guy?! He saw Kamamoto gently lay her on the couch. The couch he had just cleaned. The couch they were probably _staining with blood yet again_. He twitched in irritation before approaching to get a closer look at the situation. Despite all the blood, it didn't seem like the injuries were too serious. There were several of them, but nothing he couldn't tend to. A cut on her forehead was the messiest, as head wounds usually were, but it appeared that the bleeding had nearly stopped. He couldn't really tell through her sweater, however it seemed like the stitches which had been on her shoulder had torn open and the wound was once again bleeding and susceptible to infection. Aside from that, her skin was beginning to bruise all over her left side and there was no doubt going to be at least a small bit of mental trauma.

After assessing the situation, he immediately turned to find first aid supplies in the bathroom. Heaven knew he knew how to use them properly. The boys came home constantly with scratches and scrapes, broken bones, the lot. He had seen almost anything that could be thought up. Once he even had to remove a pit bull from Dewa's leg.

"How bad is it? Is she ok? Why is she still bleeding? Tatara-san why are you smiling?! She's gonna be ok ri-" Someone slapped a hand over Yata's mouth back in the main room.

"I swear, if you keep yapping on like that she'll never wanna wake up," said Bandou, highly irritated by the boy's incessant worrying. It was strange, he noted, since usually Yata wouldn't even glance in a girl's direction. Right now though, he couldn't take his eyes off her. Did he know her from somewhere? He didn't have time to think much into it since Yata finally stopped shouting, which cut the overall noise in the bar in half, leaving the man in sunglasses to take a breath of relief.

At least Tatara had finally stopped smiling, sobering up from the happiness that she had actually agreed to stay with them. He took charge, usually at least second in command to Kusanagi when it came to tending to injuries. He began to wipe away the blood on her head with a damp cloth that someone had gotten him, and Kusanagi finally returned from the bathroom with a first aid kit in hand.

"Oh good, you got Yata-san to shut up. About time." The aforementioned boy opened his mouth with a retort and irritated look, but thought against it when he reminded himself of the current situation. She was hurt. And bleeding. And vulnerable. It wasn't the time to squabble or fight like children.

He had to watch over her and keep an eye on everyo- "Ok, someone help me cut her sweater open so I can see the wound." And with a blush Yata was out of sight within seconds. Kusanagi could handle it.

* * *

The first thing Akane noticed when she woke up _again_ was that the pounding in her head was gone. Her thoughts were clear and her limbs weren't cold. She was laying on something soft and strangely comfortable, and the scent of cigarettes and warmth washed over her. _What the fuck? Where am I?_

Her eyes hesitantly opened and as they did her memory flooded back to her and she nearly gasped. Was she in... HOMRA? Had she _actually_ agreed to that? _I am honestly such an idiot. Couldn't even keep one promise to myself._

Although all these thoughts washed away as she was forced to face the situation immediately at hand. Or rather, the golden eyes that met and locked with hers. She could read a small bit of curiosity from them but mostly it was just indifference and simple acknowledgement.

"Is there a problem?" she said hesitantly to the golden eyes without a name.

"Should there be one?" was all the reply she got back.

She laughed softly and quietly said to herself, "And so it begins as it ends." He raised a questioning brow at her but didn't have the chance to question her on the strange statement as she turned away and someone else directed their attention towards her.

Well, a lot of someone elses.

"You're awake!" Tatara, smiling _again_ , carried a large mug of what smelled like green tea and set it on the table in front of her. "I told everyone not to worry." She heard grumbles from all around her and realized she wasn't alone. In fact, it seemed like the entire gang was surrounding her with expressions that ranged from fascination to annoyance to worry to nonchalance. Akane gulped nervously, not used to being around so many people, let alone being the main focus of them all.

Taking the hint that she felt a little overwhelmed, Tatara waved them back and they watched her from slightly more comfortable positions around the room.

"How are you feeling?" She tried a weak smile, but she was sure it came out as more of a wince judging by various reactions. "I'll be sure to get you something for the pain in a minute or two, ok? Just to make sure you're alright first." She nodded in understanding, pulling her knees up to her chest on the couch and only just realizing they had put a blanket over her. She looked at the object with obvious intrigue and a small smile twitched on her lips once again before she pulled it tighter around her, once again covering the even larger hole in her sweater and now shirt.

"I see you had a field day with my hoodie," she said to him, raising an accusing eyebrow.

He laughed nervously. "I'm very sorry about that, we had to in order to get to your wounds. I'll get you a new one myself, Hane-san." She winced at the name and glance over at the red head sitting across from her. He must've shared that bit of information with them while she was out cold.

"Um, yeah that's actually not-"

"That's not her name." Called a voice from the back.

A voice that she finally recognized now that she was sobered up. A face she hadn't seen in ages. A boy she had missed for years.

"Is it, Akane Himura-san?"

Her eyes widened in slight surprise and a touch of pain at the malice in his words. It was actually him. He was a part of HOMRA. Was he there that day? Did he miss her as much as she had missed him?

It took her what felt like an eternity to finally gather her thoughts and spit some words out. "No. I guess it's not, Misaki-kun." His expression turned to anger and he stood up from the bar with clenched fists and a slight tint of pink painting his cheeks. He pointed an accusing finger at her while the other gang members watched in silence. Yata had never interacted with a female human being like this, as far as they knew. Who the hell was this girl?

"Don't call me that. Don't you EVER call me that!" Her eyes immediately found fascination in the threads of the blanket covering her while Tatara tried to quiet him down in the background. To no one's surprise, this went without the slightest bit of success.

"I'm sorry... I guess I lost that right a while ago, huh?" She smiled sadly, still not looking at him even though everyone else in the room was.

"Yeah, you're damn right you did, dumbass." He said the words more quietly, and she could hear the hurt in them. Then he just made a sort of choking sound and stormed off out of the bar with clenched fists and heat radiating off him that she felt all the way into her heart, where it sat and simmered and burned.

* * *

 _She sat on a stack of plastic crates in the back corner with one leg up, left arm resting on her knee as she lit a cigarette. The boy she had fallen on was still by the door but looked at her disapprovingly, with concern in his eyes. None of the other two in the group seemed to care, one was used to it and the other was the one who got her started._

" _I really wish you wouldn't do that, Hane." She shrugged him off even as something uneasy settle in her stomach from his words._

 _She smirked over at him, "They'll only kill you if you have something to live for in the first place, Hiro-san." His frown slightly deepened but he shook it off as the other boy by the light spoke._

" _It's a shame Misaki-kun missed out on this." Akane gave a small laugh, they all knew he hated it when they called him that, which only made them both do it and enjoy it more._

" _Are you kidding? He would've gotten us caught within five minutes." They all laughed at that. The group loved him to death, but they had to admit he was really bad at picking his battles, settling for trying to attack everything he saw. He had yet to learn that his strategy of doing things just didn't. Work. At least most of the time. Akane rested her head back against the wall as her airways filled with smoke, "How long do you think we'll have to stay in here?"_

 _The girl spoke up this time with a devilish smile, "Might be the whole night." Her eyes focused on Akane with fiery insinuation that made her blood run cold._

" _Oh no, nononono. No. I know what you're thinking and no."_

 _She made a pouting face and whined, "But Haaannnneeee what else are we gonna do to pass the time?"_

" _NOT THAT!" The whole group shushed her and she sunk back again with a grimace._

" _C'mon, everyone else will play with me. Don't be a party pooper." The look of Hiro's expectant eyes on her finally broke her resolve._

" _Fine. Let's see what this stupid truth or dare game is about." Her friend squealed in delight and clapped her hands, waving Akane over. She eventually stood and hesitantly joined them._

 _She had no idea how this was going to go... all she knew was that there were some secrets she would rather keep secret. And with her friend's natural creativity and curiosity there was no way everyone would be surviving the night unscathed._

* * *

 _Is the guilt eating at you yet? Has it burned a hole through your heart and shredded your mind? Have you decided whether you're living or dying as the seconds that have separated us tick away and grow and grow and grow? I know you, I know you will never accept me. You will never accept what you did. And darling that will be your demise and my uprising. So give in to the guilt and let it smolder and burst into the brightest flame the world has seen as it destroys the very last bits of you left._

* * *

 **A/N: Whoo! Longest chapter yet! Although I know it's not my best writing, I've never written in bulk like this before so I should get a hang of it soon and the story will flow much better.**

 **But anyway so how about that? Akane lied about her name and it turns out she knows Yata! Now who are the rest of the people in the room and what does she have to be guilty about? All will be revealed soon!**

 **Hope you liked this chapter, stay tuned for the next one ^^**


	5. Chapter 5: A Shadowed Past

5: A Shadowed Past

The bar was silent, stunned from the previous scene. Questions flooded through everyone's minds, yet no one got up the nerve to ask them and break that silence. Akane didn't move from where she sat, staring at her hands and blinking back tears. She had missed him for so long, had been wanting to see him for ages. And it all led up to this. Her greatest fears had come true. He unquestionably hated her, and though she couldn't blame him in the slightest, it still stung her to the core. She would have to talk to him, at least try to resolve and lessen the distance between them. However, other things were calling her attention and needed to be dealt with.

Taking a deep breath, the injured girl closed her eyes for a moment, and when they opened again they were cold and hard like stone, full of resolve with no thoughts of what just transpired within them.

"I'm sorry for lying to you." She looked at the gang leader, right into his eyes and not backing down. She would not let them know her as a coward. "If I had known who you were or where I ended up I never would have given you an alias. It was completely reflexive in a moment of panic and a foolish mistake that couldn't have benefitted any of us either way." After a nod from him, and she internally hoped that meant he had accepted her apology, she turned to look at Tatara and the rest of the men in the room as a whole. Her eyes softened slightly, and she saw several pairs of shoulders relax at this, and a sad smile graced the corners of her mouth. "You all deserve an explanation."

Tatara finally spoke up, "Yes, actually I-"

"But before that I just have one question." She held up a hand apologetically for cutting the blonde man off and a childish light entered her grey eyes. "I'm so sorry, this has been bugging the goddam _hell_ out of me," she said with a laugh. The girl, suddenly the exact opposite of the one who had apologized to their king only moments ago, twisted and leaned over the back of the couch like a kid, pointing at someone on the other side of the room. "What's your name?"

"Um... K-Kamamoto Rikio." The man seemed startled by her sudden behavior and change in personality, stumbling over his name once all attention was directed towards him. Akane stopped pointing and nodded in appreciation towards him, the lightheartedness still in her eyes. She was already obviously unpredictable, and while some members in the room preferred her change of character and relaxed a bit, this just put others even more on edge.

"Thank you, Kamamoto-san, that had really been bothering me." She sobered up once again and calmly looked over to the man she had interrupted by accident. "Now, you were wondering how I know Mi- Yata-san." She twitched in irritation for only a moment at having to correct how she addressed the boy who had stormed out earlier. Tatara smiled and nodded patiently. "Yeah, I guess it was pretty obvious since he didn't faint when we made eye contact." Chuckles could be heard around the room and Tatara's smile became more authentic. They all took note at how she was no longer down casting her gaze and instead faced them all without fear, accepting whatever was to come her way.

"We go a ways back actually, but we were essentially best friends at the beginning of high school. But things... happened and we fell apart." Sorrow flashed through her eyes once again and her jaw clenched at the resurfacing of painful memories. She snapped out of the trance and waved her hand dismissively, wincing at the lingering pain in her injured shoulder. "That's a story for another time though."

* * *

 _Needless to say Akane's first experience with truth or dare had been... interesting to say the least. Little things had been dared and truthed to begin with. Hiro was wearing Fushimi's glasses and the raven haired boy was wearing Hiro's school uniform jacket. They all knew Aiko's greatest fear was earwigs and Akane's least favorite food was mint, and Hiro had shoelaces braided into his hair._

 _But then it got a little more interesting and just straight up weird. Fushimi had to sit in Hiro's lap for 10 more minutes and Aiko was wearing Akane's shirt on her head, the latter just sitting there in a sports bra, irritated, glaring, and wanting nothing more than to be dared to punch her friend in the face._

 _She had been trying to be careful, mostly just choosing dares when she was targeted and only one or two truths. Unfortunately, she had begun to relax when she thought she realized what direction the game had been going in._

 _The other girl looked at her with an evil glint in her eye, it was her turn to subject someone to her torture and Akane had a pretty good idea of who was next. A chill was sent up her spine, and she was sure it wasn't just from the draft in the room._

" _The fuck do you want from me, Aiko?"_

" _No, the question is what do you want from_ me _, Hane, a truth or a dare?" Akane almost laughed at her friend, she was such a dork. A terrifying dork but a dork nonetheless._

 _She sighed and the word left her mouth before she had the chance to think it through, "Truth."_

 _And Aiko's eyes lit up with terrifying malice. She rubbed her hands together like a villain and Akane wanted to bolt and risk being caught by the security guards, shirtless, half dazed, and smelling like cigarettes. "Truth it is... y'know I'm feeling lazy this round, let's just go with a classic." She leaned forward and grinned a grin that would send the devil into cardiac arrest. "Who you got on your mind, girl?"_

 _Akane just blinked in confusion. "What? What are you talking about, you dip?"_

 _The redhead rolled her eyes, exasperated now that the mood was lost, "Just tell me who you have a crush on, you halfwit!"_

 _Panic engulfed her and it took every ounce of her being to keep from looking over at Hiro to see if he was watching her. Everyone was, but that wasn't the point. Externally, she appeared perfectly calm and NOT like a deer in the headlights. She laughed lightly and smirked at her friend, "Really? You don't have anything a_ little _more creative?"_

Please take the bait please take the bait please take the bait _, she chanted internally._

" _Ugh, fine, lemme think..."_

THANK YOU GOD. _She relaxed, sure the danger was past. But she should've just answered the damn question._

" _Ok, here's one. What's the worst thing you've ever done?" And the air went cold. And still. And silent. Devoid of all the happiness and warmth it once held as ice filled Akane's eyes. And flames filled her memories, memories long hidden away in the recesses of her mind where she desperately tried to forget them every day._

 _Suddenly she was on her feet and looking down on them all, as ridiculous as they appeared, with an emotionless gaze. "I'm done playing this game."_

" _Wait, Akane, I'm sorry, I didn't mean t-"_

" _I SAID I'M DONE!" And the door slammed behind her as she stepped into the cold night air. If any of there pursuers came across her at this point... well... may god have mercy on their souls._

* * *

Her eyes suddenly scanned everyone in the room and her brows eventually furrowed in confusion, not having found what she was looking for. For some reason, a sick feeling settled in the pit of her stomach and she realized her suspicions were probably true. "Fushimi... he's not..."

Tatara shook his head, "I was wondering if you knew him too. He's not... part of HOMRA anymore." His expression, like several others, darkened a bit with the mention of Yata's former partner.

"He's not... like..." Fear was in her eyes, she had a hunch he wasn't with HOMRA but was he at least safe?

"No, no, nothing like that. He is alive and well. Just not with us."

She nodded in understanding. "He and Yata became close after I started becoming more distant from them. They were a great team and better friends, but I always felt a sort of rift between them. I knew they could never really last as they had been for very long. Fushimi was always so much colder and distanced from the rest of us."

Attention was directed at her from the seat across from the couch for the first time since she apologized to him. The way she had said that... she _felt_ it. There was more to this girl than she was letting on. She was childish and lighthearted, yet cautious and closed off at the same time. And now he could sense a kind of observational wisdom from her which just added to the confusion of who she was. There was more to her. There had to be. Yet he knew none of them would probably ever figure it out.

"What else would you like to know?" She gazed at Tatara patiently, but expected any one of them to speak up.

"I was curious of who those men were, both in the alley and when you saved me and Kamamoto-san's lives."

She scowled at the end of his sentence, "I didn't save you, I put you in harm's way in the first place. As terrible as it sounds, the only reason why I took those bullets was because I realized you were HOMRA. Basically, the first group were a bunch of illegal arms dealers. They took something from me when they thought I wasn't looking, and I made the brilliant decision of trying to rush in and get it back without thinking things through. I also may have drawn a cartoon penus on their leader's forehead in sharpie while he was taking a nap." She smirked at that, obviously proud of her doings, a smirk that only widened as some of the people in the room laughed. Unlike before, when only a handful were aware of the situation, they were now all paying attention to the newcomer, smiling and leaning in to catch everything she said. The energy she had was magnetic, lightening the situation and everyone's hearts. Although she was already fitting in, at the same time this could have raised alarm among them. They had just met this girl and were already letting down their guard around her, something she could easily take advantage of at any moment. But this was HOMRA. They had nothing to worry about with such a small girl.

Right?

"Okay, well anyway, that was obviously a mistake. Worth it, but still a mistake," she shrugged with a smile in her eyes. "The other group... that's uh. Not so humorous unfortunately." She sighed and rubbed her hand over her face as she chose her next words. "That was Takeshi Suzuki. His brother... lost a bet against me I guess you could say. Takeshi thought the stakes were unfair and wanted... revenge I guess you could say." Something in the way she spoke and held herself, the way she would only look at the wall, told the more observant of her audience that there was more to the story. None of them wanted to push it though. She had been through a lot already and they silently decided that she was the type who would tell them eventually.

Her voice was ever so slightly quieter now. "Is there anything else I could tell you?"

"Yeah, actually. There is." Her eyes snapped to the form standing in the doorway. Yata had come back, needing only a moment to cool off before deciding to go back inside and hear what she had to say. Akane's breath caught as she silently prayed for him to not bring up certain subjects. There were things she just wasn't ready to talk about, and certainly not in front of all these people who had agreed to shelter her for the time being. "Why did you run? Back at the hospital, you should've just stayed there."

At the same time as she released her breath, she winced. She didn't want to be a nuisance. The last thing she wanted was to intrude on their lives, to hurt Yata again. "I hate hospitals, you know that. And there's no way for me to pay a medical bill anyway..." He nodded thoughtfully but froze when she continued to speak. "I'm sorry. It was stupid of me to run out of there and get myself caught in all your hair. I told you I don't want to intrude, and I meant it. You're right, I should've stayed and just-"

"Akane, jesus would you shut up?!" He snapped at her, shocking everyone including the girl. "That's not what I meant, like Tatara-san said, you aren't intruding on anything. I just thought you would have been more comfortable and better treated in that damn place." Frustrated, he turned his attention away and shoved his hands in his pockets.

A smile twitched on her face as she looked at her old friend. Maybe he could come to forgive her at some point. No time soon, she was sure. But eventually. And the thought warmed her heart and filled her with hope.

"Have you guys even offered for her to get cleaned up? I mean look, she's still got blood for fucking hair gel." Yata had snapped out of his daze and glared accusingly at the guys around the room.

"No, it's fine Yata-san, I won't be here for long anyway."

"No, it isn't fine. Stop trying to be modest and shit already, you look like a wreck." Akane's eye twitched and she considered finding out if she could still pin him down in a fight. _Well how kind of you to say, dumbass._

"He's right, Himura-san, I should have offered you a shower before interrogating you," Tatara apologized and sent guilt spiraling through her gut. "King, is it alright with you if she borrows it for a moment." Her eyes widened and her gaze snapped to Mikoto. _King?_

Before she had the chance to question anything, the addressed man grunted without so much as opening his eyes. She had thought he was asleep, with eyes closed and his head tilted back against the chair.

Rather than arguing yet again, she just let Tatara lead her up the stairs, very very slowly since everything still hurt like an inferno. At the end of the hall she followed him through a door into a large bedroom, and immediately she was hoping she wouldn't stain the carpet with blood. He opened a side door to her, and she saw it was a clean, white bathroom with a shower against the far wall.

It had been months since she had even seen a proper shower and she internally prayed to remember how to use it properly.

Tatara turned to her and held out his hand, offering her two white pills. "These will help with the pain. You seem fine so I think you should take them."

She smiled at him gratefully and immediately downed them dry. "Thank you so much, Tatara-san. I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you all."

He just waved her off and began to walk away. "You already have. Go ahead and use the towel on the rack, and when you're done I'll leave some clean clothes on the bed for you." And he was gone before she could argue.

To say that the shower felt like heaven was a major understatement. She felt like she could have stood in the scalding water for hours, washing away the years and the pain she had endured in them. But after the water had no trace of red left in it and she could actually see her skin through the dirt again, she knew she had to get out before she drove their water bill through the roof.

Even after she got out and replaced her bandages, she just ended up sitting in the bathroom in her towel, mulling over the events of the last 3 days. She sat there for so long that by the time she stepped out into the bedroom, her hair was dry and curls framed her face.

She looked at the clothes Tatara had set out for her, as promised, and it was obvious they were from the guys. The white t-shirt was ridiculously baggy, and although the black jeans were surprisingly the right size, they were cut really awkwardly for her build. She smiled at the black, zip-up sweater sitting next to it all to replace her hoodie. She pulled it on and tugged the sleeves all the way down, pulling her long hair out of the collar to cascade over her shoulders.

With a deep breath, she opened the door to the hallway and shoved her hands in the pockets of the borrowed sweater. Akane slowly stepped down the stairs, trying not to move too much, but froze when she was almost all the way down and could see into the bar.

"What're you guys looking at?"

* * *

 **A/N: AHHHH SORRY FOR THE WAIT I'm honestly the worst with personal deadlines I'm so sorry you're stuck with me XD But hey, it's Christmas break so I have free time coming out my butt. Expect lots of updates lol... actually don't. I won't be held accountable for my future self.**

 **But anyway, Akane seems pretty secretive, huh? Wonder what's up with all that... and where are Hiro and Aiko now? Will her and Yata ever be friends again?**

 **More to come!**

 **Favorite, Follow, and don't forget, I LOVE comments and constructive criticism ^^**

 **Until next time guys, hope you enjoy this chapter XP**


	6. Chapter 6: Melody of Warmth

6: Melody of Warmth

" _What're you guys looking at?"_

The dull conversation that had been filling the room all stopped and at her words the last pairs of eyes glued themselves to her newly cleaned frame. It was creeping her out.

Someone sitting at the bar whistled, "Damn, Himura-san, you sure clean up nicely."

Stormy, light grey eyes peered back at them, narrowing with slight hostility, through jet black, loose waves of hair. It framed her face and draped down her back and shoulders, only a couple inches short of her elbows. Her skin, almost unhealthily pale, glowed at finally being clean and exposed to open air. The blood that had dried on her face was now gone, revealing her long eyelashes and delicate nose. Although her face was a little too shallow and her collarbones stuck out a little too much from malnourishment on the streets of Shizume, they knew that in time they would see her stronger than ever once they got some food in her.

Yata punched the guy's shoulder, hissing a quick 'shut up' at him, and everyone returned to what they were doing. Besides Anna, women were rarely ever found in the bar, and this gave Akane the chance to remind herself of where she was and who these people were. Not only were they strangers who she couldn't trust yet, they were all _male_.

 _Honestly, what am I doing here?_

She pulled the sweater tighter around her and hardened her gaze, shoving her hands in her pockets and hobbling over to the couch once again without a word. She sat in the same place, across from Mikoto, who now lazily smoked a cigarette with his eyes closed. On the table before her was the tea she had been given before, forgotten and untouched. She was pleasantly surprised to find that it was still warm as she gratefully took a sip. Then Akane's eyes redirected themselves towards the man sitting across from her. Her energy was drained from the day, so the childishness that could be found in her demeanor was now lost. Not quite cold or serious, but still without much humor, her eyes addressed HOMRA's leader.

"Tatara-san called you King." It was just the two of them sitting in that part of the room as everyone else in the bar went about their business, not paying any attention to them. Without even opening his eyes, Mikoto grunted in acknowledgement. "You're Mikoto Suoh, head of HOMRA."

"And you're Hyoshu." He slowly brought his head up to look at her reaction. He was surprised to see her looking away, off to the side, thoughtfully. A trace of shame could be found in her face and he realized how easy it was to read her. _No._ How easily she was letting herself be read. She was trying to gain his trust. Despite her words, it appeared she wanted to stay, and she knew that if he desired it, she would be back on the streets with the nod of his head.

"I always did hate that name... never really knew who started it up." He grunted again and lazily continued to look at her, having nothing better to do. She looked back up at him with slight irritation, "You're not really one for words, are you?" Another grunt and she sighed, obviously annoyed. She went back to focusing on her tea, giving up on conversation with the redhead and a smirk twitched on his face at how easily frustrated she was.

"Wings, hm?" He figured he may as well try to get along with her since he had no idea how long she would be around. Plus, strangely enough he found himself rather enjoying her presence.

"What?" Her head tilted slightly to the side, nearly getting hair in her drink.

"Hane."

"Ohhh... right. Sorry again about that, by the way. Dunno what I was thinking."

"Doesn't matter." He didn't mean it in a rude way, she could tell that he just didn't talk much and that was his way of saying it didn't hurt anything, so there was no reason to sweat over it. She nodded in appreciation.

"It was a nickname from high school. Everyone just called me Hane back then, there was no 'Akane-san'. Actually, I think it was Yata-san who initially gave it to me, and I guess it just stuck. Those days have long passed though."

At the mentioning of his name, Yata looked up from his conversation at the bar to see the two of them talking. An unrecognizable look was on his face, and he immediately looked away when he noticed his king glance up at him.

"Why Hane?"

"No clue. Never got around to asking him, guess I'll have to do that at some point. I've always been curious, actually, but the name never bothered me, so I kept forgetting." She shrugged and set down her now empty mug. "Can I ask you a question?" Mikoto nodded, never taking his golden eyes from her grey ones. She leaned forward with the spark of curiosity and wonder in her eyes, "Is it true? That everyone in HOMRA carries the power of flame? That you can burn anything just with the power of your own aura?" She wouldn't doubt it, feeling the power of his at such close proximity. He was overflowing with it to the point where just being near him warmed her freezing skin.

He smirked, but before he had the chance to reply, someone spoke from behind her, making her jump then wince at the sudden motion and pain from the wound in her abdomen.

"You're not giving her a hard time, are you, King?" Tatara reached over and refilled Akane's mug with tea, making her smile back at him in thanks. Mikoto just put his cigarette out and closed his eyes again.

"We were just talking, Tatara-san. Thanks for the tea," she happily began sipping at it again, and sat on her feet to try and keep them warm. Tatara noticed this and frowned.

"Are you cold, Akane-san? You should've said something, we have plenty of blankets."

The girl shook her head even as he handed her the blanket she was using before, "No, I'm fine. I'm always cold, so I should get used to it in a minute."

His frowned only deepened at this, "That doesn't make sense. If you're cold, it only makes sense that you do something to be warm again."

"Yeah, well, I've gotten accustomed to not having anything to do about it."

Tatara nodded in understanding, but draped the blanket over her legs nonetheless. Almost instantly she felt an increase in temperature that spread all the way to her heart. No one noticed when Mikoto frowned in the background at her words.

"Well I'd say it's time things changed."

* * *

 _"Stupid Aiko. Stupid STUPID AIKO!" She yelled at the sky as she stomped across the grounds of Ahinaka, rubbing her shoulders because of the cold. Akane was already naturally sensitive to the cold, so the fact that she didn't even have a shirt on was just cruel. "Should've just told her some bullshit answer to her first stroke of lunacy..." she mumbled. "If she had_ any _clue of the things I've-"_

 _"Akane-san! Wait!" She grit her teeth and walked faster at the sound of Hiro's voice._

 _"Go away, Hiro." She spat out the words with venomous ice. "I'm not gonna help you if you get caught."_

 _"Just- just wait a sec," he was out of breath from the run to try and catch up with her. She turned with a snarl, ready to yell at him to his face, but he just stood there behind her, panting and holding out his jacket. "Here. I know you- you get cold easily." Akane looked at him in confusion, momentarily forgetting the cold freezing the skin on her back off, stunned to silence. All trace of fury that had been with her only a moment before was now gone as she looked at this strange, strange boy who chased her just to give away his jacket._

 _She kept up the angry façade and clicked her tongue, trying to hid the small smile building up. In one motion, she grabbed the jacket out of his hands and pulled it on with a mumbled "thanks." He stood up and smiled at her, teeth and all, and her heart skipped a few beats in her chest._

 _"I'm going to my room." She said it bluntly and immediately began to walk in the direction of the girl's dorms, not waiting for Hiro nor expecting him to follow. Which naturally meant that he would._

 _"I'll walk you there!" He trotted to catch up and walk next to her, looking up at the sky and shoving his hands in his front pockets. Mousy brown hair hung in his eyes and stuck up in weird places, and it gave Akane a weird feeling in her stomach as she looked at it from the corner of her eye. "I'm sorry Aiko-san pushed you too far like that, you didn't want to play for a reason and we should've listened to you instead of pushing it._

 _She just shrugged, staring at the ground and trying not to make eye contact with him. She didn't want him to see it. The hurt or fear in her eyes that Aiko had put there. They all knew Akane had been through a lot. It was sort of unspoken, but they knew she was standoffish and untrusting for a reason. And through all her brashness and violence, they knew she was realistically very fragile. That she had to be protected from being broken again._

 _She sighed and faced the facts. "How was she supposed to know I would react like that? I can't blame her for just... being her." Hiro nodded understandingly._

 _They walked in comfortable silence for only a minute more before they were standing in front of her door. She had negotiated and argued with the school before they had finally given her a room on the ground floor, a feat she was personally proud of. Sighing in frustration, she realized her keys were still in her shirt pocket. Which was no doubt still with Aiko._

 _Turning around to Hiro, she said, "Just gimme a sec." He raised an eyebrow in amused curiosity, also having realized she didn't have a key and wondering what she was up to. She took a step back and crouched, bracing her back foot on the railing behind them. Then, in a swift motion, she ran a couple steps and launched into the air with a hand outstretched..._

 _Only to narrowly miss the top of the doorframe, "Shit!" She flew into the door itself with a thud and landed on her feet, glaring up at the ledge where her spare key way. "I'm not even that short, what the hell?!" Hiro, doubling over and trying to contain his laughter, tried shushing her so they wouldn't get caught. She glared at him in annoyance, coming up with a dozen ways to make him stop laughing. None of them pleasant. "Yeah, laugh it up, fuzzball."_

 _He sobered up momentarily, "Did you just Han Solo me?"_

 _"So what if I did?" She looked at him with mild humor and mild hostility._

 _Hiro stood up, still chuckling, and walked over to the door. "Well then I'd have no choice," he hopped up and snatched the key for her with ease and her eye twitched in irritation, "But to have a newfound respect for you, m'lady." Smiling, he offered her the key and she gently took it from his hand, hoping the darkness was covering up her blush._

 _"Why thank you, good sir." She opened the door and stepped inside, taking her shoes of. Hiro didn't follow, instead waiting just outside to say goodbye._

 _"I'll see you tomorrow Hane, despite everything, it was a really fun night. I'm glad you decided to come with us."_

 _"Um y-yeah sure. Sorry to cut it short for you." She was smiling at the ground, fighting every ounce of her being not to imitate a tomato at his words._

 _He laughed lightly, "It lasted as long as it was supposed to. Goodnight!"_

 _But as he turned and began to walk away, Akane found herself lunging after him, grabbing onto his sleeve._

 _"Wait, Hiro!" He stopped and turned to look at her, confusion painted on his face._

 _"Woah, you ok Akane-san?"_

 _"Please don't go." She kept her eyes down as her face burned, not daring to look at him. What was she doing? Did her idiocy ever stop? Apparently not... "I just... I don't want to be alone right now."_

 _He just smiled down at her, knowing she meant it and touched that she would let him see this side of her. She always acted so strong and brave, almost inhuman. But now... to see that she really was just a scared little girl, he wanted nothing more than to protect her._

 _"Ok. I'll stay. If it'll make you feel better, of course I'll stay."_

* * *

"Thanks, Tatara-san." She smiled at him and he returned it.

"Whatever makes you more comfortable here. Tell me if you need anything else or if you run out of tea again." She nodded and looked past him when someone else called her name.

"Akane-san! We brought these back for you, you dropped them in the alley earlier." Her eyes lit up at the sight of the objects in Kamamoto's hands, all signs of her previous exhaustion vanishing.

Gasping in delight, she gently set her drink back on the coffee table and carefully stood up, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders like a cape. "Oh my gosh, you saved it! Thank you so much!" Everyone watched, her smile was contagious and soon nearly everyone had at least a small grin on their face. She took the skateboard from him and gently leaned it against the arm of the couch so that she wouldn't scrape the floor, causing Kusanagi to visibly relax. Then she accepted the large black case and hugged it to her chest. "God, I was so worried about it."

Yata scoffed from the bar, "Of course you're still carrying that old thing around."

She playfully glared at her old friend, "It dies when I die, I thought we'd been over this."

"Does it still even play?!" He said, slightly exasperated at the strange girl's words.

Her eyes narrowed at him, not so playful this time, "What, you think I've lost my touch?"

"Don't put words in my mouth you lunatic."

"Well don't make it so easy, pinhead!"

"Who're you calling pinhead, fuckface?!"

"Ohhh, getting a bit hostile are we, hot-shot?"

Yata opened his mouth to yell back at her, but Kusanagi slapped the back of his head in annoyance. Several people laughed at the scene, and Mikoto had moved over to the bar to watch and find out what Akane was holding.

"Grow up, you two." Snapped the bar owner and Akane huffed.

Smirking, she walked over to the couch and opened the case. The men in the room, besides Yata who was still sulking, all tried to peer over the back of the couch to see what she was getting out of the case. One or two of them narrowed their eyes and braced to defend their clan in case it was something dangerous. Akane, having noticed this, nearly laughed. It was comical to her to think they actually believed she would attack them after everything.

Still with a smirk on her face, she picked up the violin with a flourish and waved the bow at Yata. "Of course it still plays."

Putting string to string, she slid the bow across the wood and began to play Thais Meditation by Jules Massenet, biting her lip at the pain in her shoulder that it caused. Everyone's eyes were glued to the motion of the bow and the way Akane swayed with the music, having closed her eyes a few measures in. They were awestruck, even Yata giving in and watching her play, and Mikoto lazily observing the scene. She would be a handful, he knew. Already causing a ruckus like this after really only having been there a few hours.

After a few minutes the music stopped, and she slowly lowered the items in her hands. But her eyes didn't open for a few moments after that. When they finally did she sort of jumped as if she didn't realize anyone was watching her. Then a hesitant smile flickered onto her face and she forced a small, nervous laugh.

"I would bow but uh... I'm afraid the bullet hole in my side says otherwise." The smile didn't quite reach her eyes, which still held a bit of uncertainty. But the members of HOMRA didn't seem to notice, some even applauding as she put the instrument away again, shaking her head at them. Yata watched with narrowed eyes, though, obviously knowing something was up.

Tatara spoke a few quiet words to Mikoto, getting the occasional nod in return, then clapped his hands with a sense of finality.

"Alright, everyone, shoo. It's already dark out and Akane-san has had a long day, so it's about time you let her have a little room to breathe.

The girl mentioned said nothing, just sat down on the couch and absentmindedly placed a hand on the black instrument case, staring into space. Most of the other people in the room only grumbled at Tatara's words and stumbled out the door as he and Kusanagi herded them. Mikoto didn't move, and neither did Yata, apparently having come to an agreement with the bar's owner about his staying the night in the spare bedroom.

And soon, for the zillionth time that afternoon, the bar was all but completely silent. Pin-drop silent. Akane had barely twitched even when the leaving men said their goodbyes. It was strange. Eerie. Almost like she was possessed.

"Akane-san?" Tatara called, smiling politely at her from behind, "If you'll follow me I can show you where you'll be staying the night." There was no response from the girl, and he frowned slightly. "Akane?" Nothing.

"Oi, feather-brain!" Yata snapped at her and she jumped back into the world of the living like someone had slapped her.

"Sorry, what? What happened?" She blinked as she turned around and her eyes focused back on them.

Tatara just waved for her to follow him. "Come on, follow me Akane-san." The girl lightheartedly smiled and stood to follow him, still seeming rather vacant and detached. Yata watched with narrowed eyes as she passed.

She only stopped for a moment to look at the last three men in the bar. "Thank you for letting me stay here, hopefully I'll be gone soon and you won't have me cluttering up your space anymore."

Kusanagi, drying a glass behind the bar, looked up at the strange girl. "Stay as long as you need, Akane-san. The bar needs a woman's influence, if you ask me," he smiled at her and she smiled weakly back. Mikoto just nodded in absentminded agreement.

"It's really good to see you again, Yata-san. I'm sorry for everything." He just shrugged at the floor.

"'t's fine." She nodded and continued to follow Tatara up the stairs.

"Wait, where are we going, Tatara-san?" She looked up at him in confusion.

"I'm taking you to where you'll be sleeping, you seemed tired. Ah, here we are." He opened the door to Mikoto's room since the King didn't really spend any time in there anyway.

Even as they crossed through the doorway, Akane protested, "No, no, Tatara-san, I can't take a bedroom, honestly I don't even-"

"Goodnight!" he said, apparently not listening and having expected her to protest. The door closed in her face, cutting off her sentence.

"-sleep." She sighed in annoyance and ran a hand through her hair. She turned on the light and sat on the edge of her bed, resting her elbows on her knees and putting her head in her hands. "It's gonna be a long night," she mumbled.

* * *

 **A/N: What the heck?! Another chapter of decent length?! Niiiccceee. So I'm glad to FINALLY actually be getting into the story now, and I promise the next chapter is gonna be awesome. Like really fricken twisted, but awesome :)**

 **Favorite, Follow, and don't forget to comment for sure!**

 **Until next time, I hope you enjoy this chapter ^^**


	7. Chapter 7: Burning Screams

7: Burning Screams

 **A/N: Quick note, sorry. Just by the way, whatever is in bold is being spoken in English :) Enjoy!**

* * *

" _ **Long time no see, Hane."**_

The girl sighed into her hands, still in the same position 30 minutes later, trying to focus. Trying to fight what she knew what was coming. It was too late to go back down though. They'd wonder what she was doing. They'd ask questions. They couldn't know.

" _ **What, you're not just**_ **bursting** _ **with joy to see me?"**_ Suddenly the voice was right there. Right in her ear. In her head, and the hairs on her arms stood on end, a shiver sliding up her back. _**"To HEAR me?"**_ The voice whispered in her ear and it took every ounce of her being not to jump away.

 _Why him? Why him every time?_

" **Shocker..."** she looked up at the form perched on the bed beside her in a crouch. Dressed in all black, with a hood covering his eyes, it leaned in with a freakishly wide smile. She could feel his breath on her cheek. **"No. Sorry to hurt your feelings hun."**

" _ **Pity. We always have so much fun when we get along."**_ The blindingly white smile grew even wider and she had to look away before she threw up. Standing up abruptly, she made her way to the bathroom to tend to her wounds again. Tatara had left tons of medical supplies in there for her... enough bandages and antiseptic to keep her wounds clean for at least a week. _How long is he expecting me to stay exactly?_ The thought of his efforts just to make her comfortable put a small smile on her face.

" _ **He is quite foolish, isn't he? Trying to make you at home. HA... does he know you don't even understand what home is?"**_ She ignored the words, used to hearing that kind of thing from him. As she prepared the bandages, she saw where he had moved to through the reflection in the mirror. _Why the shower, what the fuck is wrong with you?_ Sure enough, the black form, now standing up straight, could be seen behind the glass shower doors, white teeth peering out at her. Of course that wasn't bad enough though. Of course he was standing on the CEILING. Smile eerily glinting off the mirror, hood still covering his eyes, it took every bit of courage in her not to turn tail and run for her life from this terrifying THING haunting her.

" **Well maybe I should start learning, then."** She barely spared him a glance, but she saw the glowing teeth disappear. She placed the last bit of medical tape over the gauze on her shoulder and turned around with a mild glare and emotionless expression. She would not let him see her fear. Never.

Even though she nearly jumped through the roof as she turned around to be face to face with him, noses nearly touching, and eyes at the same level even though he was still upside down and they were hidden in shadow. _Damn, he was fast._ _**"You couldn't if you tried, Akane Himura."**_

" **Oh yeah?! Who says? You've never even given me a chance!"** Her glare became more hostile and her lip curled in anger. She hated being told what she could or couldn't do, and he was fully aware of that.

The form began to laugh maniacally, and she could smell the stench of his cold breath.

" _ **Who says? WHO SAYS?! Why don't you ask your family?! Why don't you ask Takumi Suzuki?! WHY DON'T YOU ASK ME AND EVERYONE ELSE WHO YOU'VE KILLED BECAUSE YOU WANTED SOMETHING AS PITIFUL AS A HOME!"**_

Akane's eyes widened as this monster screamed in her face, her breath became shaky and finally the fear began to boil over and show. _No no no don't let him see, dammit, don't be such a pushover!_ Nonetheless, tears formed in her eyes and her senses were so focused on the threat before her that she barely noticed the orange flames starting to crawl up the bathroom walls around her. No smoke formed, but she could see the wallpaper curling and feel the temperature rising in the room. She didn't move. Not a muscle.

" **N-No... you're wrong. You have to be. I couldn't possibly hurt them."** Her voice came out weak and pitiful and a tear trailed down her cheek even as she internally screamed at herself to be strong. To stop being so childish.

" _ **Really? You really think that?"**_ A sneer appeared on his lips and amusement coated his words. _**"And why would that be? Because they're HOMRA? Because they have the power of flame?"**_ He scoffed, _**"Honey, not even the burning heat of Mikoto Suoh himself could melt your stone-cold heart. They will all freeze and fade AND PERISH AT YOUR CURSED TOUCH!"**_

" **NO!"** She tried yelling back at him, but she felt like her voice could barely penetrate the heat caused by the fire engulfing the entire bathroom. Tears streamed down her face and fear and anger contorted her expression.

Suddenly, in one fluid, lightning fast motion, the figure before her ripped the hood away from him. Revealing two dead eyes. Once the warmest brown she had ever seen, filled with joy and happiness, they were now clouded over and cold. Blank and pale. Terrifying.

" _ **YOU WILL NEVER KNOW THE LIFE YOU STOLE FROM ME!"**_

And with that she spun around and bolted out the door. Unfortunately a little too quickly, because as she tried to turn the corner and head for the door to the hall, she slipped on the carpet and fell, sending pain through her whole body and making her yelp. Her vision was blurry, and the room spun as she tried to catch her breath, trying to escape the flames slowly wandering into the bedroom, following the unhooded figure's slow advance towards her vulnerable form on the ground.

" _ **You will never be able to save them. From you or especially themselves, and you**_ **WILL** _ **watch them all die before your very eyes."**_ She had no idea what the hell he was talking about, but she did know that she had to get out of there at any cost. With a deep breath and hopes that she was headed in the right direction, Akane pushed herself up and she half ran, half fell into the door, scrambling to open it. They were getting closer. The heat was getting hotter. His gaze was piercing her skin. _Get out get out get out GET OUT!_

He reached a bony, pale hand out to her and grinned. _**"Come to me, my dear, and receive the punishment you know you deserve. I will make you hurt so much that you will never feel the pain of another loss again. Don't run like a coward."**_ He reverted to whispers once again, _**"Face the consequences for your actions and give in to me."**_

The door finally gave way and she slammed it behind her, vision only slightly blurry now but her chest feeling like it was on fire as she hyperventilated. She could see the light flickering under the door, casting horrifying shadows in the hall. Her eyes widened again, and she turned to flee and get as far away from that place as she could.

* * *

 _Hiro sat on her couch patiently, hands folded in his lap as he looked around and waited for her to change. Her room was scarce of any decoration, which made it hard for him to get to know her a little more. She had moved to his school fairly recently, so it didn't surprise him all that much, but he was hoping to at least learn what her favorite color or taste in music was._

 _Although the situation would've seemed awkward or inappropriate to others, he knew that Akane had no devious intent. She was genuinely scared of something, even if it was just being alone. Everyone had days like that, he knew, when someone's company could save them from themselves if even as just a distraction._

 _He heard her footsteps before he saw her leave her bedroom and rush directly to the kitchen. The small amount of makeup she usually wore was gone and she wore a school issued pair of shorts and a t-shirt with Hiro's jacket over it still. For some reason this little detail made him smile. Her black, wavy hair was pinned up and a few getaway strands framed her face._

 _As she moved around and pulled things out of cabinets he noticed how she refused to look at him. It couldn't have been easy for her, letting him see her in this state. She really did work hard to build a threatening reputation around herself so that no one could bother or hurt her._

" _Tea?" She turned her head to the side in acknowledgement, back still facing him. He had to get her to relax._

" _Sure, sounds good. Can I help?"_

" _I can do it." The words nearly cut him off they came out so fast, and he could see her wince. It didn't bother him though. She could never bother him. It was just her._

" _I know." Was all he responded as he pulled out his phone and started quietly playing a game while he waited for her to face him._

 _Which happened sooner than he had expected as a mug was set on the table in front of him with a thud. Steam wafted out of it and he noticed the pleasant scent of green tea in the room._

 _Akane sat on the other end of the couch, one leg curled under her as she cradled her own mug in her lap. She was inspecting it avidly, as if it had the answers to all her problems in it. He realized that if he didn't say something they would be sitting there in awkward silence all night._

" _What's wrong, Hane? Why are you afraid?" It looked like she would snap back at him. Denying that anything was wrong and that she even knew what fear was. But the words wouldn't have been convincing. He already knew, and he deserved an explanation._

 _Hesitantly, her eyes met his and he was surprised to find they were distant and slightly watery._

" _You can't tell anyone, Hiro. They'll... they'll send me away. I really don't want to move again, especially now that I'm finally figuring things out."_

 _He reached over and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, leaning down a little to make her look at him. If she had been in a better mood she would have laughed at how comically cliché this was._

" _I won't tell anyone. No matter what it is."_

" _I don't want to make you look at me any differently. Even Yata refused to talk to me for a week after I told him, and he's acted different ever since. Like I'm a ticking time bomb. I'm..." she paused for a moment, trying to think of the right words. This could make or break everything she had finally built up. "Broken."_

 _Hiro frowned at this. Broken? No matter what she had to say, she could never be anything other than perfect in his eyes._

" _You can tell me, Akane. You'll always be you no matter what you tell me."_

 _They sat in silence for a moment longer. Her grey eyes were sealed shut and her breathing was shaky. He admired the courage she had for telling him such a dark secret and he would wait forever for her to be comfortable enough to share it. How bad could it possibly be anyway? It wasn't like she had killed someone or something._

" _Hiro... I..." Her eyes finally opened, not meeting his, and he could see they were filling with tears that were waiting eagerly to fall. "I'm a murderer."_

* * *

Well that was unexpected.

Too bad she was only able to make it a few feet until she crashed into yet ANOTHER obstacle. Panic filled her as she realized it was breathing. And obviously alive. Instinctively she began to try and shove it away to continue her retreat from the fire, waving her arms around and wildly trying to hit it even as the figure tried to grab them.

"Woah woah woah, calm down! It's just me!" She appeared not to hear him, trying to wrench her wrists away from the unknown form's grip. "Akane! Calm down! HANE!" It was like he had slapped her in the face. She froze, and her eyes snapped to his, and he could see the fear in them, the tear tracks on her face as she shook from pure terror.

Luckily, she finally recognized him through her tears. "Yata-san? What are you-"

"Where is it? Where are you keeping it?"

She was shocked to see that he was actually worried, holding her wrists firmly enough that she couldn't hit him without putting a huge amount of effort into it, but gently enough that she wouldn't get hurt from the grip. The one person she had expected to throw her back in that room of flame was the one who was trying to save her from it.

She barely noticed another door open in the corner of her eye, Kusanagi peering out of it, having been woken up from all the noise. He was obviously not pleased, yet looking as clean and sharp as ever. Did he brush his hair before getting out of bed?

"What the hell is going on, you two?!" He hissed.

She didn't even pretend to not know what Yata was talking about, instead just quickly answering his question and completely ignoring the bar owner. "Downstairs, in my case."

He nodded and lead her down the stairs, still holding on to one wrist and making sure she wouldn't fall, Kusanagi having picked up that something was wrong and following them down. The light was still on and Mikoto was back on the couch, she noticed, head leaned back like he was asleep. She had quickly learned though that this didn't mean anything. He was probably very aware of the situation, especially considering the yelling and thumping that had been going on upstairs.

"I'm gonna grab a glass of water while you get them." She nodded as Yata practically ran to the kitchen in the back of the bar, its owner following him and asking him questions in hushed tones. Yata took the time to answer none of them. Akane walked over to the violin case in a daze. Trying not to disturb the king sitting at the end of the couch, she carefully opened it and hit a latch on the top, opening a secret compartment containing exactly what she had been looking for.

Her hands shook as she held the bottle of pills, and after a couple of tries she finally got it open. A single white pill with AMI 200 engraved on it fell into her hand and she looked down tearfully at it. Just in time, Yata came rushing back into the room carrying the promised glass of water and he practically shoved it into her hands, causing her to almost drop the pill. Kusanagi leaned against his bar, watching them suspiciously with narrowed eyes and crossed arms.

"Shit! Sorry sorry..." She downed the white capsule and water with shaky hands after only a brief hesitation.

"It's fine... I don't wanna bother him though," she gestured toward Mikoto with her head, "Could we maybe talk outside?"

He nodded and took the glass back from her, "Use the side door there, I'll be out in a second."

She put the pills back in their place, taking a mental note that she should probably get some more in the next week or so, and carefully closed the case. But not before grabbing something else and shoving it in her pocket before she walked outside into a tall alleyway lined with various crates and boxes, littered with trash and dirt covering the floor.

 _Home sweet home._

Yata soon followed, closing the door behind him and leaning against it after handing a glass of water and a granola bar to a grateful Akane, who was now sitting on a stack of said crates in silence.

"Kusanagi-san agreed to wait inside." He stood in silence for a moment before addressing her again. "So... I guess that's still happening, huh?"

She just turned her head away from him, expressionless. The tears had dried from her face and she was no longer shaking from fear. Taking a bite from her granola bar she answered blankly, "I doubt it'll ever stop. It's not the kind of thing that just fades with time. Gotta love genetics." She paused, and he crossed his arms, choosing to look at the brick wall across from him rather than at her. "How'd you know, Yata-san? I mean aside from the yelling and all... how could you tell it was just me having another 'episode' instead of just talking to myself or trying to run?" She looked over at him, trying to discern his reaction and using air quotes on the word episode.

He paused before answering and his reply seemed hesitant. "You were speaking in English. You always do that for some reason."

"Huh... that's weird. Do I really?" He nodded, still watching the wall and her finishing the granola bar. "I guess my mind just automatically reverts to it for some reason in all the chaos."

They sat in silence for a while, Akane turning over the thing in her pocket and Yata just... brooding. Or trying to. The stars were nearly invisible in the center of the city and the only light they had was cast from streetlamps on one end of the alley. Shadows sprawled over the building walls and Akane fidgeted at the sight of them. She was still shaken from what she had just seen and would kill to break the silence. Just for a little comfort.

"So-"

"I-"

They paused and looked at each other blinking in surprise.

"You go first." Akane gave Yata a look so he wouldn't protest instead of just spitting out what he was going to say.

"Look, you don't have to tell me if you'd rather not think about it but..." he sighed, debating whether he was going to ask or not, "What the fuck did you even see? Why did you freak out so bad? I mean you know I've been there for your episodes before, but I've never seen you legitimately afraid for one. You always put on such a brave face. What were you yelling at?!"

Her expression turned bitter, "I think you know exactly who it was, you just don't wanna admit it to yourself."

"Didn't think he could be scary though. He was always so calm and happy," a combination of nostalgia and sadness filled Yata's eyes as they talked about their ex-friend. She knew what he was feeling. The pain throbbed in both of their hearts and began to give her a headache.

"Yeah well, you forget it's not actually him. It's just got his face. His voice... his- oh god why am I like this?" She put her head in her hands and tried to get a hold of her breathing so she wouldn't start crying again. Yata didn't move, instead going silent and just watching her. After all, she had done to him, after she had hurt him, she completely understood why. It must've felt good to see her suffer at least a fraction of what he had because of her. She eventually threw her head back against the wall, eyes closed and breathing deeply. It was the only sound in the alley besides the occasional hum of cars or cat moving around in the trash.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

She looked at him once she had gotten a hold of herself, a question obviously in her eyes. "I just... before anything else I have to know the truth." He raised an eyebrow at the broken girl, only moments ago on the brink of tears. She was so different and yet she hadn't changed in the slightest from when he knew her. "Can you really do it? Can members of HOMRA really harness the powers of fire? I mean of course there have been the countless rumors on the streets but I'm never really sure who to trust or if I'm just hallucinating again or-"

He smirked as his pride for HOMRA and what they could do took over. He held out his left hand, effectively cutting her off, and she eagerly watched and waited for what would appear. Suddenly, his fingers lit up with red flame and the alleyway glowed. Her eyes widened as she felt its heat and she knew that this was really happening. It was truly in front of her and not just another trick of her mind.

"-or that." Then she cleared her throat and the side of her mouth twitched in amusement, "Alright now for the real test," and she reached into her pocket. Yata watched in concern, debating whether he should have shown her or not, and he rolled his eyes when she pulled out a cigarette.

"I thought you quit."

She scoffed, "I did. But..." She held the end over Yata's red flames until it caught, which didn't take very long, and she took a long breath from it. "This has been too much of a fuckshow for me to worry about such trivial nonsense right now."

He looked at her in curiosity, putting the flame out. "I'm surprised you're taking this so well actually. It's not every day you see someone set their hand on fire."

She smiled lightly up at him through the smoke. "Trust me, that's one of the least bizarre things I'm seeing right now. That's what my life has always been like. I've learned to accept the stranger things in this world without questioning them, because they are what they are regardless of what I see. Only solid proof like this," she held up the burning cigarette, "is truly reliable, and every bit I can get is a blessing. That or everything around us is on fire and we're about to die extremely painful deaths. But you're being pretty chill about it, so I guess it's whatever." She shrugged nonchalantly while Yata looked at her wide eyed, like she was truly crazy. Which she probably was.

Through her eyes, the alleyway had been burning this whole time. When they were quiet she had just been watching the flames. And although they were slowly fading as the medication kicked in, they were still definitely there. In fact, they had followed her through the whole building and if she turned around she knew that fire would be pouring out the windows.

She took another drag from the cigarette, one leg up on the crates and the other hanging toward the ground. Every breath made her healing lung ache, but she ignored the pain. It was something she was used to.

She shivered as a figure appeared at the end of the alley. It didn't approach yet, but she realized that it was only a matter of time. She looked back at Yata, doing her best to ignore the ghost she had just escaped from.

"Look, Yata-san..." He looked up at her trying to act normal, if not a little dazed, her previous words not bothering him to the extent that it would bother most people since he already knew she saw everything through her own twisted filter. They still bothered him but still. Ok who was he kidding... he was freaking out, but if she knew that she would probably give him something to really be afraid of. So, for now he would just have to sit patiently and listen to what she had to say. "I'm sorry. For leaving you guys after everything." His expression darkened as unpleasant memories began to return to him. "The thing is, you were my best friend. For years. Hell, you were my only friend. And I just threw that out the window like an idiot. You didn't deserve that, and I could never blame you for hating me. I'm the one person who's really earned your hate and I completely accept that. I just... I wanted to know if you think we'd ever have a chance at being alright again. Like it used to be. I've missed having everyone around so much, and I could never live with myself if I didn't at least try. Even if it is too late. Even if we're all that's left. I just wanted you to know how sorry I am." She paused and put out the light, casting it aside in the alleyway. "Sorry, but I had to get that out while I'm still here and at least semi-sane. If you want me to leave I will. I shouldn't even be here in the first place to be honest."

He looked away and shrugged, obviously not exactly the type to have heart-to-heart conversations all the time, while she just inspected her suddenly fascinating hands in her lap. "Yeah. We were best friends, weren't we? It's a shame you drove that right into hell." She winced at his words even though she had been expecting them. She had really been expecting worse, but they still hurt. "But I don't see why we couldn't try to drag it back out. It would be stupid to not even give an effort." Her eyes widened with a smile, and she was so overcome with hope that she didn't even notice the smiling creature at the end of the alley walk off into the street and disappear. "But..." he stopped her before she could say anything, "...that doesn't mean I forgive you yet. What you did was super fucked up and it's gonna take some time to get over it if I ever do."

She looked at him in astonishment for a second. _Did that actually work?_ Then her eyes lit up and a smile graced her features as she laughed, causing him to blush.

"I don't expect you to forgive me. But I promise I won't let you down again. I promise." Yata went quiet at this. She always took promises ridiculously seriously, no matter how insignificant they were. Usually words meant next to nothing to her, but as soon as you slapped that word on them, they became more sacred to her than even her beat up violin. "Friends?"

"Yeah. Sure. I guess I don't have a choice anyway since Tatara won't be letting you leave any time soon." She laughed to herself at this.

"Well, we'll see how long that lasts."

She had missed him so much, she had dreamed of trying to make everything better between them for years, and she knew that she would even die to protect him. She would do anything to make up for lost time and broken hearts. Just to prove herself if nothing else. She would not fuck this up again.

Akane turned and stood in front of the door, preparing to go in and explain herself to not only Kusanagi, but Mikoto as well. It was possible that her first night in HOMRA would also be her last. However, before that she had one more thing on her mind.

"Hey Yata, before they kick me out already- "

"They're not gonna kick you out over this. I won't let them."

She smiled but it didn't reach her eyes, "Really. I don't mean to overstep my boundaries, but this is really important... can you promise me something too? Please. And you can't tell anyone about it."

Their eyes met for a moment and they had a mutual understanding of how serious the situation was.

"Fire away."

* * *

 **A/N: Ok I know it's been a while, but I've been sick the last few days so I had plenty of time to write THE LONGEST CHAPTER YET!**

 **Ok fine I know it's junk but still take what you can get and I knowwwwwwwwwwwwwww I'm trying to rewrite absolutely everything Yata said because he's so out of character. Hey can you tell I'm sick XD ok anyway I hope you like it and I am really gonna try to shut up now.**

 **Favorite, Follow, and every Comment you guys leave makes my day a little brighter! (Also help with the whole ooc thing would be great lmao)**


	8. Chapter 8: Seeing Spots

8: Seeing Spots

"So... I'm assuming you want some kind of an explanation?" Akane stood before the two men with her hands clasped before her and an apologetic smile. She had a nervous twitch of rubbing her left forearm, pulling at the sleeve and clutching that hand. Mikoto decided to look into it later. She intrigued him and she could be at least a good distraction to him for a while if nothing else. Yata sat at a long since abandoned table behind her, seemingly not paying attention to the conversation. Akane knew he would step in if she needed his support though. That was just the way they worked. He respected her pride and need to keep up the tough, independent act while at the same time she wouldn't hesitate to admit that she needed help.

"Well, not to be pushy, but yes. An explanation sounds like a fantastic idea." Kusanagi smiled sarcastically at her and she averted her eyes to the door on her left. This was it. This would make or break the next couple of days, if not weeks, of her life. "However, it seems that Yata-san knows quite a bit about whatever this may be, so care to explain why you just decided to not mention anything about it?"

She could practically feel his shrug behind her. If she couldn't read the tenseness in his voice from years of practice, she would've actually believed him.

"Sorry, didn't think it mattered all that much."

"Didn't ma- nevermind. We'll talk later." A shiver of fear ran up the younger man's spine and the bartender turned back to the girl in question who had finally successfully replaced her mask. Her face was void of all emotion. Even her eyes were blank. "So what exactly would you like to tell us, Akane-san?"

"I'm sorry for not mentioning it earlier. To be honest I was afraid you wouldn't let me through the door and I knew if I had to go back on the streets right away my wounds would get infected for sure. Been there. Done that. I'd really rather not ever revisit it again."

"You're getting off track." Yata gently brought her back to the issue at hand. He knew she tended to wander off in conversations and needed to be kept along the same line as everyone else. Yet another one of her many quirks… he never seemed to mind though.

"Right right just… ugh there's no easy way to say this really."

"Then say it the hard way." Mikoto looked up at her from his seat on the couch, blank stare meeting blank stare.

"Fine." She bit out the word and Kusanagi looked like he was ready to burn the answer out of her if she wouldn't say it soon. Which he might've. "I'm, uh, sick. Not like cold sick. Not really like cancer sick but… really sick."

"What kind of sick, Akane-san?" Kusanagi just really wanted a straight response from the girl for a change.

"It's not contagious or anything, but in my case it's still really dangerous to everyone around me. And I'm stuck with it for life and it's why I was so against staying here around you in the first place."

"Please just tell us already!"

"Schizophrenia."

* * *

 _She sat at the lunch table picking at her food. Lively chatter surrounded her and made her feel sick. She was slumped over with her chin rested on her arms, which were folded on the table. She just wanted it to all go away. All the noise. All the bright light. All the pain._

 _Aiko looked at Akane with concern out of the corner of her eye while she was talking to Hiro, who sat beside the chatty teenager. One of their other 'friends', whom Akane couldn't remember the name of for the life of her, sat beside the black haired girl and laughed her fake laugh, having her fake conversation with her fake friends in the fake school. Aiko was afraid to confront her deflated friend about her strange behavior, worried that she was the cause. However, Hiro didn't seem worried and he tended to be pretty good at reading her, so she just let her be._

 _Finally, Akane was fed up with the noise and she stood up, grabbing her bag._

 _"I need some air, I'll see you guys later."_

 _"Oh... ok Hane. You want me to come with you?" Aiko smiled up hopefully, but only got a fake one back._

 _"That's ok, Aiko. I just need to be alone for a little bit." Her friend frowned, concerned, but nodded in understanding nonetheless. She chuckled a dry laugh, "Don't look so freaked out. I'm not mad at you, really." Aiko brightened up just a little at hearing that._

 _"Oh, ok. I'm glad... you wanna talk later?"_

 _Akane shrugged. "We'll see." Her eyes flickered over to Hiro for only a moment before she left, trying not to think about what was on his mind when they made eye contact. "We'll see." She whispered._

 _She hadn't been able to look Hiro in the eye since their… conversation. She didn't know what to think. How to feel. Let alone what he thought and felt. She just couldn't bare to be around him at the moment until she figured SOMETHING out._

 _So where was the most reasonable place to collect her thoughts? The roof of course. Duh. It was they last place they would ever look for her. And for good reason too. She probably wouldn't be able to get down for a good couple of hours._ Whoops.

 _They won't notice anyway. I'll have a different kind of company._

 _The thought nearly made her shudder and she knew that today would not be fun. But she at least needed a distraction from what had happened that morning._

* * *

The word practically cut him off and they all went silent. Yata winced behind her at the word despite already knowing. The way she said it was just too harsh. Too matter-of-fact. It was hurting his friend and she treated it like it was just nothing. For so long he had worked to try to figure out how to make it just disappear forever. But instead… she was the one who disappeared. It was one of his biggest regrets that he was never able to help her and here she was saying it like it was nothing. And to her it probably was. "I was diagnosed with extreme paranoid schizophrenia when I was 8 years old. For the last couple of days I missed my meds on account of the whole unconscious in a coma thing and... well, it relapsed pretty bad and threw me into a hallucinatory fit."

Her expression was still blank and clean as the sparkling bar, and in turn she was unable to really read them. Mikoto's eyes had narrowed, though in curiosity or distrust she had no idea. And Kusanagi just kept opening and closing his mouth like a fish. It was starting to get on her nerves.

"Please just say something. Someone. Even if you're kicking me out, which isn't that big of a deal."

Yata suddenly slammed a fist on the table he was sitting at.

"Would you stop saying that?! You can care, you know! Stop trying to make them throw you out when you know it isn't gonna happen and that you don't even wanna go! Jesus, you're such a pain in the ass."

"Yeah, well not everyone would harbor a basket case like me in their home, Yata-san. You know it's a bad idea too so please just-"

"Stay." Her eyes darted to the person who cut her off, half in astonishment and half in she didn't know what. _I guess it WAS curiosity then_ , she thought, trying to comprehend why the hell Mikoto would let her stay after all this. "We owe you."

"You don't owe me anything, and I can't intrude over some debt that doesn't exist."

"Then stay because we asked you to." Kusanagi finished for Mikoto, who nodded slightly in agreement and turned away. "As long as you haven't hurt anyone, you're welcome here. We all have our issues, and although that wasn't exactly what I had been expecting, I don't believe it's anything to worry about at this moment. So!" He clapped his hands together and smile politely once again, leaving no room for her to argue. "Everyone back to your rooms, it's getting late and I don't want to clean up after you're all in a bad mood in the morning. That being said, let's just-"

"Red." Akane's entire head snapped to where the quiet, soft word came from. A small, young girl with gorgeous, long white hair and red eyes stood at the bottom of the stairs. She clutched what looked like a small marble in her hand and had a blank, yet intelligent look to her eyes. Something stirred within Akane's heart that she couldn't quite place, but she was sure it was something along the lines of adoration. Yata gulped, remembering how much she loved children and preparing to tackle her if she jumped after the girl.

"Who's this?" A small, gentle smile touched her lips as she gazed at the kid and practically whispered, her breath taken away.

"Anna, you should've been asleep ages ago, go back up to bed."

The girl shook her head and stepped to the floor, trotting over to stand in front of Mikoto. Akane practically cried at how graceful her steps were and how her hair rippled behind her.

"Mikoto." She sounded out each syllable with her delicate little voice and placed a small hand on the gang leader's knee, making him look a lot more gentle than rumors and previous encounters had suggested.

 _That's it. I'm in love with this child. I've got to have her. Holy shit she's adorable. What is she doing here and how do I adopt her?!_

The aforementioned king grunted at Anna's presence, making Akane want to strangle him for brushing her off like that. He didn't even open his eyes.

"Who is she?" His eyes finally blinked open and glanced at Akane for a moment. He saw how her eyes never left Anna and it looked like she was about to cry. It was almost enough to make him laugh. Well... smile at least.

He finally shrugged, "Dunno yet." His response caused Akane to raise her eyebrow for a moment before directing her attention right back to the little girl.

Surprisingly enough, she nodded her head in quiet understanding, wisdom unbefitting a kid of her apparent age. "She has your red." Now it seemed like she was looking at _Akane_ in admiration. Kusanagi chuckled at the scene, the two girls just staring at each other with giant, sparkling eyes. It seemed like the only difference between them in that moment was height. Even so, they all looked at Akane after Anna mentioned her 'red'. She didn't understand what that could mean yet, but for her to share an aura like their king's? It only raised more questions, different in everyone's minds.

She didn't seem to notice them though, as she just quietly walked towards the other girl. She crouched down about a foot away and stormy grey eyes met brilliant red. "I'm Akane. Wanna tell me your name?"

"Anna." Akane's smile brightened and broadened and a small smile also found its way onto Anna's face. Yata watched the scene in wonder. How could she not have changed at all? Despite everything, she still managed to put smiles on the faces of everyone around her.

"I love your hair, Anna. Y'know, I always wanted hair like that. Got caught on the other side of that spectrum though. Whoops." Anna just smiled shyly back and nodded her head, taking a step behind Mikoto's leg. Akane felt like she would get a heart attack from this little girl.

Suddenly, the man stood up and Akane followed, Anna still hiding behind his legs. It was the first time she had really stood face to face with the king of HOMRA and it kind of made her breath catch. She never realized how much taller he was than her. With Akane being about the same height as Yata, Mikoto towered a good 7 inches over her own head. It wasn't that she had never faced big guys before, in fact it happened quite often in her lifestyle, and they were rarely so kind. But this was different. His aura, the power that ebbed and flowed around him while he just stood there nonchalantly with an eyebrow raised, added another 10 feet to his height.

He smirked down at her as she blinked, trying to regain her bearings. "Problem?" She finally seemed to snap out of it and, breaking eye contact with his chest, looked back up at him with crossed arms and a half-hearted glare, standing not 6 inches away from him.

"You tell me, Sparky." He chuckled and she stepped aside as he headed towards the stairs, Anna in tow, holding onto the end of his shirt. "Goodnight, Anna. I'll see you later I hope." The child smiled back and disappeared up the stairs.

After that the smile slowly faded from her expression, but lingered in her eyes just a bit.

"If Mikoto's fine with it then so am I. Plus, Anna seems to like you." The corner of her mouth twitched at the end of Kusanagi's words.

"Okay... But the second you don't feel comfortable with me being around, you have to let me know."

He nodded, "That room's still all yours for the night."

She raised a brow and looked at him like he was crazy. "Yeah, like hell I'm going back up to that deathtrap," she grumbled.

"Excuse me?" He seemed to take slight offense to this, being extremely defensive of his building.

"Ugh, no, sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I love this place, I really do," she flopped back on the couch with a loud sigh where Mikoto had been sitting, and she noticed how warm it was. It made her smile just a little more. "I'm just still a little jumpy after what I saw up there. Plus, the energy down here is much more lively so it should help a bit. I don't strictly _sleep_ anyway, so I couldn't possibly take a whole room for myself for no reason at all."

Kusanagi furrowed his eyebrows but decided not to ask any more questions for now. It had been a helluva long day. "Whatever makes you the most comfortable. I'll trust you not to raid the bar." Even though he said it so lightheartedly, she figured he had cameras hidden around. The thought nearly made her laugh.

"Done deal. Thanks for everything, Kusanagi-san."

He smiled, a little more genuinely this time, back at her and followed Mikoto and Anna up the stairs without a single worry. He didn't know how, but he just felt in his gut that she could be trusted. At least for one night anyway.

Akane watched in confusion as Yata ambled over and flopped down on the other end of the couch. He threw his hands behind his head and leaned back with his eyes closed.

"What the hell are you doing, Yata-san? Go to bed already."

"Would you cut that out? It's getting on my nerves." He didn't even open his eyes.

"Cut _what_ out, exactly?" She put a sickeningly sweet, innocent tone in her voice and she smirked when she saw Yata shiver and frown.

"You're fucking creepy, you know that?" He opened his eyes and she just smiled at him. As if she had no clue what he meant. What an angel. "And you know exactly what I'm talking about. The whole 'Yata-san', 'Kusanagi-san' thing doesn't fit you." He mocked her voice by raising his an octave and waving his hands around. She looked ready to punch him.

"Ok, so what am I supposed to do, that's kind of how you people talk. Wouldn't it be kinda weird if I just dropped all honorifics out of the blue?"

"I doubt they'd even notice."

"Uhhh I beg to differ. You have no idea how many people have gone after me for being 'rude'."

"Oh, so you think we're gonna go after you, huh?"

"That's not what I said. It just doesn't feel right. Like it's annoying me too, but I don't think it would exactly help my odds of sticking around."

"Well suck it up, ya lousy American." She glared at him, he knew she hated being called that. So he did it even more.

" **Fuck off, Yata.** " She countered in English, knowing he would get the idea without actually knowing what she said.

He chuckled, "There, see what I mean?" He just got a grumble in response and she sunk back down in her seat.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" He shrugged and she narrowed her eyes. "I don't need a babysitter."

He barked out a laugh, "Yeah, I could argue otherwise. If you broke anything down here in another fit Kusanagi would freak."

"No faith. What a pal _you_ are."

"Yeah I know, I'm just the best." He closed his eyes again and she just rolled hers, resting her elbow on the arm of the couch and putting her chin in her hand. The position was a little awkward and irritated her side a bit though. She looked at Yata trying to sleep and a devilish smile creeped onto her face.

The boy jumped as he suddenly felt a weight on his lap and his eyes snapped open... only to see her feet resting on his legs, her head on the arm rest at the opposite end. Her arms were spread out, one dangling over the side with her hand on the coffee table and the other resting up against the back, sticking up in the air. She was looking up at the ceiling, mouth slightly agape, as if she had no clue what was going on.

"You're a goddam cat, Akane. I swear to god."

"Hey, better a cat than a bitch."

"Well I wouldn't count that out either," he responded under his breath, which resulted in a nice kick to the stomach.

"What was that?" She said it innocently while her friend gasped for breath.

"N-nothing," he choked out. She just 'm-hmed' and relaxed back again.

"G'night Yata. I'll scream if I need you," she said it light-heartedly but it only served to dim his expression.

"Yeah. See ya in the morning."

And in moments he was asleep, leaving Akane to her own silence for the rest of the night.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading yet another chapter! Sorry if this seems to be moving slow, I'll pick up the speed pretty soon here ^^**

 **Be sure to let me know what you think of this and if you have any ideas or things you wanna see. Until next time and I really hope you enjoy this next step in our story.**

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 **-TFT**


	9. Chapter 9: The Warmest Blue

9: The Warmest Blue

He wasn't asleep for long. He kept waking up every few minutes as his head lolled, once he even woke himself up by snoring. That got a good laugh out of Akane and a "Shut up" from Yata. As for the girl's own state of consciousness, she barely even closed her eyes but in concentration or to blink. She sighed in irritation whenever he woke up, and after about the 20th time she lost the majority of her patience.

"Yata, oh my god, go upstairs!" Her voice was a little sharper than she had intended, making the boy jump in his sleepy state.

"But-"

"If you won't walk yourself up there I'll drag you myself. You aren't gonna do any good tomorrow in this condition."

"Yeah, but I don't want you to freak out again."

"Thanks for the gesture. Really. But trust me, I won't freak out."

"You don't know that."

"Yes I do!"

"Oh yeah? And how's that?"

Just then there were footsteps coming down the stairs. They were even and had some volume to them, although the owner didn't announce his presence.

"Because he'll keep me company," Akane jerked her thumb and smirked, gesturing towards Mikoto standing at the bottom of the stairs. He looked over in their direction for a moment, assessing the situation, before shrugging and taking his seat across from them. Akane sat up, taking her feet off of Yata's lap and standing with a slight wince to grab the blanket she had before, which she had left on one of the barstools earlier. When she came back she noticed her friend doubtfully looking over at Mikoto, who was fiddling with a silver lighter with his eyes closed. She put a hand gently on Yata's shoulder and he looked up at her. "I'll be fine," she tried to say it with a reassuring smile, hoping it was convincing enough.

Whether or not it truly was, Yata sighed and sleepily stood up, rubbing his eyes before making his way to the stairs, she quietly took his place on the couch. It was warm where he had been sitting.

"Fine, I'll see you tomorrow."

"G'night Yata."

He stopped at the stairs and looked back at her. She smiled lightly with tired eyes and nodded her head towards the stairs, silently telling him to trust her and get the sleep he desperately needed. He rubbed his eyes one last time and looked at her. "Jesus, can't believe you're really here." He said it under his breath and her smile cracked a little wider, following him as he quietly made his way up the stairs. Despite everything, they would be fine.

She just knew it.

In the meantime, maybe she could learn a little more about the King of HOMRA while they were just sitting there. It wasn't like she was planning anything malicious or wanted to drag his deepest darkest past out of him, he just intrigued her. No one sensible would let a loon like her stay in the same building as the people he cared about most. She just couldn't understand. And she hated not understanding things. Although, if she couldn't figure it out she would at least rather be on relatively good terms with the man.

"Couldn't sleep?" She spoke calmly towards him, trying to ignore his aura and the truth of his identity. He was just another person despite everything.

 _Bullshit, but I guess I could pretend he is for now. Whatever keeps my heart from crawling out of my throat._

A cool, collected gaze greeted her back. But she could see the exhaustion in them, unable to tell if he was even able to hide it if he wanted to. He grunted back.

"It gets easier over time. Trust me. You learn to ignore it." She shrugged nonchalantly, having dealt with insomnia since she was a small child. Ever since that night.

"And what has you losing sleep, Akane?"

* * *

" _ **Akane! Where are you?!**_ _" A stranger's screams echoed through the halls, the ceiling was draped in a growing layer of smoke. Everything was hazy and something was choking her from the inside out. Her vision was blurry with tears as she looked down at her small hands. Oh the things they could do, these small hands. This small mind._

" _ **What did I do?**_ _" The whisper left the child's lips like a shriek desperate to escape. An unrecognizable feeling built up in her chest, a voice ran through her head. One she didn't recognize, yet she wasn't afraid of it. It was part of her now. It_ was _her._ " **You've freed yourself, child.** " _And suddenly her mind was clear, she was devoid of feeling._

" _ **Akane! Come here baby! Now isn't the time for games!**_ _"_

 _That's right, she was free. Free of what? Didn't matter. But she was._

 _All the sounds around her disappeared, the woman's screams, desperately searching for her. A baby's muffled crying from upstairs, slowly getting fainter. People shouting outside. The crackle of flame, staining her vision reds and oranges. Chunks of ceiling coming down around her in fiery cascades._

 _She reached over and lightly touched one resting on the ground before her, quietly burning in peace. It scorched her fingertip and she withdrew instantly. This was real. This was the beginning of an end._

 _The baby's crying was gone, and a sense of solid, heavy fear wrapped around her heart and dragged it into her stomach. Everyone would be ok, right? It was just a pretty color. It was nice and warm on her skin. For the first time, she really wasn't cold. How could something so warm hurt anyone she cared about? They were friends. Right?_

 _The child looked up, where there was a loud crash. Another scream. A woman fell down the stairs, resting halfway, sprawled out unnaturally with a strange bundle of blankets in her arms. Her breathing was abnormal, tears covered her face, and her skin was coated in ash and soot. But her eyes were closed. She looked at least a little at peace. But the child could tell she was still fighting to hold on. To save her. This monster that could only burn everything she touched._

" _ **Mommy, I-**_ _" She took a step forward, hand outstretched. There was a huge crash as the entire ceiling above her caved in, someone screamed, and everything went dark._

* * *

He looked at her with those gold eyes, undoubtedly seeing deeper into her than she could know. She leaned back and crossed her arms with a sarcastic smile on her face, trying not to let him see that she was panicking about the true answer to that question.

"Better be careful what you ask, King. Curiosity killed the cat after all."

"And yet we never know how." Her smile dropped, and they just looked at each other blankly. "You don't trust me."

"You don't trust me either."

"I have reason."

"True, but I haven't found reason _to_ trust you yet. I want to but," she leaned forward with an elbow on her knee and chin in her hand playfully, "I'd rather not let this relationship move too fast. The best things come to those who wait."

"So do the worst things." His expression didn't change but for a slight twitch of a smile at the corner of his mouth. She chuckled and sat back up, easygoing smile back on her face.

"Well you're a real ray of sunshine. To think I was actually worried about having you as company tonight."

"I can leave." A spark of humor flashed through his eyes, playing along with her jokes and ridiculousness for a bit. He found it a bit relaxing, distracting if nothing else.

She laughed briefly, quietly enough to not wake anyone up but loud enough that it echoed slightly through the bar. "And leave me to raid the bar all on my own? You'd be missing out. Seriously. I'm apparently _hilarious_ when I'm drunk." The smile remained on her face, enjoying friendly conversation that she hadn't been able to experience for ages. Months, probably.

"You're right, how could I possibly let such an opportunity escape me."

Their playful conversation continued for a while longer. Not really talking about anything but not talking about nothing either, and to be fair it was mostly just Akane babbling. Finally having an audience made her realize how much she really had to say, how much she enjoyed saying things at all. I wasn't that she was obsessed with the sound of her own voice, but there was something about knowing that someone was actually listening to her dragged it out of her. Just enjoying unfamiliar human company without having to worry about difficult pasts or a problematic present. This was something new, something neither of them had enjoyed for years.

Akane discovered that he really wasn't the cold, hard, terrifying king his first impression gave off. Like he showed with Anna, he had a softer, warmer side, devoid of scorching, overpowering heat. And it was pretty damn sarcastic. She just had to figure out how to find and sort it out. And whether she would admit it or not, she was slowly coming to trust him. Just a little bit.

By the time his eyelids refused to stay open for more than a few seconds at a time, and he began to drift off, she felt that they were at least friendly acquaintances. That she was at least on standards where she could approach him, and they could have a friendly conversation during the day at the bare minimum.

 _Well, progress is progress I guess. Don't know why I'm bothering but I'll take it_.

She finally just stopped responding to his drowsy comments and he fell asleep without even noticing. The sight made her smile for some reason, and she just curled up with her blanket, watching him for a while. The steady motion of his breath, the rise and fall of his chest and his aura with it soothed her. She didn't mean for it to be creepy, but it gave her something to focus on and not have to think about anything.

That would only last for so long, however, as she found her mind and attention beginning to drift once again. It was quiet now, save the sound of their breathing. His presence seemed to keep some of her terrors at bay, which she was eternally grateful for, but some of the milder ones seeped through the protective barrier. She huddled under the blanket, trying to focus on its warmth so she wouldn't panic as the ceiling appeared to begin to melt. Shadows danced behind the windows outside the building and she could hear distant, echoing laughter that she knew couldn't really be there. It came from dozens of people, far away. Having fun. Enjoying each other. Coaxing her away from Mikoto, who was the only thing protecting her.

Moonlight flowed through the windows and cast everything in a hauntingly blue light. Streetlights polluted it with yellow in certain areas, making everything look surreal. Like they were underwater. Akane could see the dust in the faint streaks of light, gently drifting and dancing around one another in the still air. She had only been there for a day, but already she could picture the bar bursting with life. Laughter, the smell of fresh food, yelling and video games. These boys were a family. No two alike yet all the same, tied together by something stronger than blood.

She could feel its energy hum through the motionless air. Like red lightning that touched her skin and made her heart ache. She used to have people like that. She used to be connected. She used to love and fight for any one of them. But the fear and tragedy were just too much. It consumed her and doomed them all to fall apart. She knew the same would happen here. She knew she couldn't stay. She couldn't let these people be torn apart by her too, not again. This was something she had to deal with on her own, and the second she let someone in they were cursed. Akane glanced over at Mikoto, peacefully sleeping with the blue light illuminating one side of his face. It contrasted well with his bright red hair. She wished she could try to get to know him more, but she knew it was too dangerous. He was the most important piece to all of HOMRA, an idiot could see that much. And if she ended up compromising him they would all fall apart.

The fear of life was something she had to deal with on her own.

Slowly, carefully, she reached over the side of the couch and grabbed the only thing she owned. Hugging the beat-up violin case to her chest, she counted her breathing and bit her lip to keep quiet. She tapped rhythms on the case and hummed melodies to distract herself, tracing the seams on the couch, counting the scratches on the coffee table, anything. Anything to make the real world stand out and the one in her head fade to the background. It never really went away. But the fading helped. Faded, anything could be ignored by a master like herself.

Faded, even memories could be pushed away.

 _Please let them go away._

The last thing she saw before finally drifting off into a shallow sleep for a few hours was the man sitting in the chair across from her. Hair fell down over his eyes a bit, and his chest rose and fell at a steady beat. His breathing was a faint, distant sound, deep and steady like ocean waves lulling her off into unconsciousness. He looked... blank. But happy. He belonged here, she could tell. Maybe she could too one day. Faded... maybe even her fear could be pushed away.

 _Please. Let me stay._

* * *

 **A/N: I'm baaaaaccccccckkkkkkkk didja miss me?**

 **Sorry it took so long, I got really burned out on writing for a while there because of my English class. AP Exams are coming up though, so after next Wednesday I won't have to write another stupid essay for a while XD But anyway, I think I've got my touch back for a while haha**

 **I've had most of this chapter written out for a while but last night I went through, finished it up, added a couple paragraphs. I know it isn't as long as some of the others but I just couldn't come up with more ways to drag it out whoooooopppsss, but now that there's a slowly growing dynamic between Akane and the members of HOMRA, things are bound to get more interesting :) Not to mention a few more pieces to add to the puzzle of her past. I know it may seem confusing now, but trust me, it'll all come together.**

 **I'm super excited to get back to the action! I know you'll love it :D**

 **Favorite, Follow, and don't forget to leave a constructive Comment or two!**

 **Love you all and thanks for hanging around :P**

 **-TFT**


	10. Chapter 10: Patching Up

**10**

 **Kind of like how you asked to stay here, all those years ago?** _Everything was blurry and hazy. She couldn't focus in as black fog curled around the colorless room. It was bleak, dusty, dark, scorched. Everything was black and covered in a thick layer of ash, yet it seemed as if nothing had changed. The couch, the table, the cabinets, they were all still there. Wallpaper still sat quietly around the room as if it had been waiting for her return. Yet, it had forgotten its purpose. What should have been beautiful, delicate, now motionless without a shimmer of life left._

 _The only colors were the shades of brown in his hair, the blue in his jeans. His sweater was black, but it only made him stand out amongst the terrifyingly thick, deeper, black fog._

 _She reached out a hand to place on the arm of the couch, but a child's hand reached out instead. Small fingers, chubby palm, delicate wrist, the works. She didn't react. This was perfectly normal, her reality now._

 _As she reached towards the furniture, a light-yellow glow cast over it. As she got closer, flames became visible, as if they could only be seen within her aura. When she pulled away they faded out of sight again as if they had never existed, waving goodbye with amber fingers._

 **You begged and begged. And so I gave you what you asked for. This place. It is forever in your mind, you never have to leave. I can grant you your wish again, my love. I can give you all you ask for. All you need to do is listen to me.** _The figure turned around, emotionless. His lips didn't move even as the words seemed to pour out of his mouth._ **All I need is your trust. Give in once again.**

 _And suddenly it was like whiplash took hold of her mind and snapped it to the side. There was no pain physically, but she was immediately mentally scrambled. That's the kind of force it took to break away from him. She couldn't figure out who could have possibly saved her from a grip like that. Who had the strength, the..._

 _Warmth._

 _ **Look at me. Don't listen to that monster. He knows only trickery and pain.**_ _The voice was soft and caring, genuine unlike her colder foe. And unlike him, this being was alight, bursting at the seams with color and joy. With true love, and she was reminded of what it looked like. That his was only deception._

 **If you refuse to do as I say they will only hurt you. They will cast you aside like all the others. You know it's true. You know you don't have the choice to relax.** _His voice tugged at her mind, trying to drag its attention back. But she was enthralled by this new being before her. A face she hadn't seen, a voice she hadn't heard in years. The desire, the craving for more of it pushed him to the background and gave her newfound strength in this child's world._

 _ **"Mom?"**_ _There was but a kind, caring, sweet smile in return before the fog washed everything away in a single, sweeping gesture._

* * *

With a surprised gasp, Akane's eyes shot open. What should have been a peaceful awakening became a shattering burst into the land of living, like a cannon going off in her mind. In the split second after she could see, the girl realized she had no clue where she was.

 _Was I kidnapped?_

Unfamiliar eyes looked down on her in worry.

 _What did they do to me?_

She noticed a cup with some steaming, hot liquid in his hands.

 _Poison?_

All this happened in a fraction of a moment mind you, so it only took Tatara gently saying her name and placing a hand on the scared girl's shoulder to snap her back into reality. Her face blanked out as she tried to regain control. She was in HOMRA, she had actually fallen asleep on her own accord, and her new friend had only brought her a morning cup of tea. There was something else though. The night before... she was used to the dreams, but had she really seen her mother? A face she hadn't seen in over 10 years? Something drastic must have shifted in her real world to create an appearance like that. And her warmth. It reminded her of someone...

She turned her head and looked at the now empty seat across from her. It couldn't have been a coincidence. The power they both seemed to carry, it was certainly enough to fight at least a certain someone, and who knew what other twisted powers that lay within the confines of her sick mind.

"Akane? Akane-san are you ok?" Her eyes wandered back to the young man who was standing before her rather than trying to envision the one who had left however many hours ago. She coughed out a quick, nervous laugh.

"Um, yeah Tatara, I'm good. Sorry about that, didn't mean to startle you."

"As long as you're fine, I'm fine. Here, have some tea. It'll help you wake up." She took it gratefully and looked around in the fresh morning air.

Whereas the night before, the bar had been painted in a cold, haunting, blue light, it now seemed bright and joyous in the golden sun. The wood in the treasured bar itself refracted the light in shades of browns and golds, making it come alive as the room woke up with the rest of the world. Even the dust seemed happier in this light, dancing more brusquely from one ray to the next, listening to the sun's melody as their guide. It was still just as it had been before she closed her eyes, but now it carried an unspoken, unseen motion that made her want to smile and see the day through till the cycle of light and dark repeats itself.

"When it's empty, this place has its own kind of beauty doesn't it?"

He gave her a strange look with his head tilted to the side. "Yeah, I suppose it does if you know where to look."

She looked over to him and noticed his strange stance. After awkwardly shifting in her seat and pulling her knees up under the blanket again she cleared her throat.

"I guess Yata's still asleep, isn't he?"

"It was a rather late night, I can't say I blame him. And it's Sunday so we've probably got a few more minutes before Kusanagi comes in. Everyone appears a lot slower on Sundays, they all decide to sleep in or stay up late partying the night before."

She scoffed jokingly, "Kids, when will they learn."

Tatara laughed lightly, taking a seat on the couch and relaxing in her presence. "You're not too far out of that threshold yourself, Akane-san."

"You can just call me Akane, really. And I suppose you're right, but at the same time I feel like life on the street fucks around with the whole aging process. Still... I'm not too young to be holding my own job by now at least." Her voice wandered off at the end in thought which spurred a look of mild concern as he saw where she was going with that point.

"Akane-sa-" he cleared his throat, "Akane."

"What?"

"You don't owe us anything, you know that right? You don't have to pay to stay here."

She raised an eyebrow at him, "Look, Tatara." She cleared her throat and sat up straight, "Even though you haven't known me for very long, do you _honestly_ think you're gonna change my mind? I mean between stealing the couch, your food, medical supplies, and maybe even the shower every once in a while... If Kusanagi won't take my money the least I can do is help out around the bar wherever I can."

The man frowned slightly, knowing this was a battle he probably couldn't win. He could still try though.

"You aren't stealing from us. You saved our lives, mine and Kamamoto-san's, it's the least we can do to help."

"Your concern is appreciated, but I don't need your permission to find work. I already have something in mind anyway" She turned away and looked out the window in thought. _I'll go out to get that refill tonight too._ Her mind flickered to the memory of Mikoto's sleeping form, _hopefully he won't be around._ But strangely enough, the though of not having his company saddened her. She internally laughed, _get over yourself, numbskull._

"Does this mystery job have something to do with your mysterious musical abilities?"

She laughed, "What, this?" Akane gestured with her thumb to the instrument now by her feet. "It's just a violin, nothing mysterious about it. I studied all kinds of music in school. Kept me out of the house, y'know?" A memory tried to take over her thoughts, but she pushed it and a shudder away. "But yes, it may have something to do with that," she answered with a sly smile.

To her surprise, Tatara's eyes lit up, "You play different instruments?"

"Yeah, a bunch. Mostly strings though, them and piano."

"Could you teach me?!" He was bursting with excitement, he reminded her of a small dog yapping at a leaf or something out a window. "I've been really wanting to learn guitar lately, but it's been hard finding a teacher."

"Umm... yeah. I mean, I could try I guess, I probably won't be the best guide though."

He waved her off, "Doesn't matter, I'll just try to keep up and it'll all work out. Actually, I already have an old one upstairs. I know a little but not nearly enough to play anything decent. I'll bring it out sometime soon."

"It would be awesome to finally have someone to play with. Hey, if you really pick it up well we could even write our own stuff."

"That's a brilliant idea! See, you've already far overpaid your stay, Akane." He smiled at her like a child and she couldn't help but smile back, tilting her head in confusion at the man's strange character.

"You're really a strange man, Tatara."

She only got a kind smile and a shrug in return before they were interrupted by a loud yawn from across the room. Akane jumped, not having noticed that Yata had woken up, and she immediately winced and hissed from the pain in her side. It wasn't nearly as bad as the day before, but it still wasn't comfortable, and her bruised side made any kind of motion a challenge.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" The words came out of his mouth drowsily as he rubbed his eyes and ran a hand through messy hair. Everything about him screamed just-woke-up.

"In your dreams, kid."

He groaned, "Already? It's too early for your bantering shit."

The corner of her mouth twitched in a ghost of a smile before she pointed at him over the back of the couch and took a sip of tea. "Um, actually..." another sip and she placed the cup down, "I was hoping you could help me out with some bandages real quick."

"Are you sure, Akane? I can help if you-"

"I've got it, Tatara." Yata eyed her coolly from across the room with hands in his pockets. She wanted to talk. The person sitting beside her had understanding dawn upon him and he nodded happily, standing to help Akane up. Already, Yata could see the growing respect and possibly even friendship between the two. She gently took Tatara's hand and with some teamwork, got her on her feet and standing upright with only minimal wobbles. The second day was always the hardest with healing. Honestly, the two were surprised at how well she was doing. When she walked there was barely a limp and she carried herself with grace and rigid posture. It looked incredibly painful, but she didn't show it even if it was. She just steadily paced into the downstairs bathroom, a lazy Yatagarasu in tow.

"You and your damn pride," he muttered as they walked through the door.

The second she was out of sight of anyone who may be in the bar, Akane's legs gave out, and she nearly fell. She barely caught herself on the counter, breathing heavily as sweat coated her brow, clinging to the edge with far more effort than it was probably worth.

"Don't... know... what you're... talking about," she gasped the words out between heaving breaths as Yata rushed over to help her over to the far wall where she carefully sat with her back against it. Her face had gone pale and her heart raced from the effort.

The boy crouched in front of her with is elbows on his knees, brow furrowed in concern. "Some things never change, huh?" he said quietly, and he reached out and pushed some of the hair that had matted to her wet forehead to the side. Her eyes were closed, and she clutched her side as she tried to regain control of her breathing, it was shaky but even and the color was swiftly returning to her face.

"Just need... a second." Soon enough the girl was able to open her eyes and breath like a human being. She chuckled slightly, "Sorry about that, stepped wrong."

He rolled his eyes, "Uhuh, sure thing. We get it, you're a big sturdy American man and nothing can take you dow- OW! Owowowowowow let go let GO!"

Akane's hand had shot forward in a split second and snatched his hand, bending his wrist in an angle that couldn't be natural. A knock sounded at the door and the muffled voice of Kusanagi poured through, "Hey, everything ok in there?"

"Yep, we're fine!" Akane called back and released Yata, who promptly fell back on his butt.

"Jerk," he muttered.

She rolled her eyes, "You started it."

"Whatever." The boy got up and huffed, brushing off the dirt from his pants that wasn't there and proceeding to get the bandages and antibacterial ointments together. He usually didn't prefer to help in the medical side of the gang thing, but every now and then a bit of knowledge on it came in handy. "What did you wanna talk to me about anyway?" He sat cross legged beside her, facing her left side and laying all the supplies out before him.

"I was just thinking-"

"Ohhh ouch, do you need me to patch that up too?"

"God, shut up for a second and let me talk, I thought you said it was too early for this?!"

"That was before you tried to break my wrist."

"I wasn't going to- oh whatever we can talk later."

He laughed at her annoyed face, "Sorry, I'll listen."

She gave him a sideways glance and sighed in irritation. "I was just gonna say that I had been thinking last night, and I've decided to try to stay this time." He looked at her with wide eyes as he reached for the patch on her shoulder. "I'm sick of running, and honestly, if anyone can handle me it's HOMRA. Plus, I made a promise. I'm not leaving you again. Just... since I can remember I've been terrified of being close to people. Since my mother... well, you know. I can't get the memory out of my head and I'm so scared of hurting you and the people you care about. But I'm going to try to work past that. I'm gonna make this work and I'm gonna stop looking for reasons to leave, and by god I'm gonna fucking fit in for once in my life." She laughed softly, "Sorry you had to put up with my bullshit with that up until now." He had stopped to listen to her, about to wipe away the excess blood around the wound so he could see it. They just sat there for a second, his eyes understanding, patient, and maybe even a little sad, and hers filled with pure determination. "I just want to make sure that's ok with you. Me staying. This is your family and if you think I'm putting them in danger with knowing everything I've done in the past-"

"Of course it's fine," he interrupted. "We're basically family too, y'know. And like you said, if anyone is as stubborn, hard headed, and violent as you are it's these guys. We can take it." He grabbed her opposite shoulder in a loose grip and looked her in the eye with a lopsided smile, "It's good to have you back, dumbass. Now let's get this over with..." He gave her shoulder wound a weird look and she laughed and rolled her eyes.

"What, feelin' a bit queasy, lightweight?"

"Shut up." He grabbed an old cloth and put some disinfecting alcohol on it while Akane, watched, amused. In one motion, the blood around the bullet wound was cleaned away and his eyes widened. "The fuck, Akane?"

"Is it that bad?"

"Uh... I don't think that's the word for it." In fact, quite the opposite was true. Only a little bruising remained around the point of impact, which itself was beginning to scar and barely had a scab left. He whistled in wonderment. "You really are a freak. Won't be needing any of this anymore." He began putting away the bandages, leaving only the cleaning supplies for the cut on her forehead and to clean whatever was left of the wound near her lung.

"What? Why not?!"

"There's barely anything there anymore, I don't have anything to patch."

"It still hurts like a bitch though, what the hell?!"

"I think most of that is just some internal damage. Although at this rate, I doubt that'll even be bothering you for much longer. I bet you just twisted something weird or you tensed up while you were walking over here."

She gave a huge breath of relief as he tended to her forehead, "Well that's _one_ less thing to worry about I guess." _Definitely going tonight then, good._

"You're not freaked out by this?"

She shrugged and winced, internally scolding herself not to push it.

"Hey, I've always been a fast healer, so if I've got a gift I'm not gonna be the one to complain about it."

"Fair enough." After finishing her forehead, he realized where the last bandage was. He cleared his throat awkwardly and a light pink dusted his cheeks despite his efforts to keep it cool. "I um- the uh-"

She looked at him with an amused smile and barely kept herself from bursting out in laughter. That would've hurt. A lot. Ouch. Instead she just lifted the side of her shirt up a little to reveal the bandages, unable to get to them herself. Plus, putting him in this position was entertaining to be completely honest.

"You've got this, I believe in you," she teased. He responded with a glare and grumbling under his breath as he removed the patch and wiped down her skin to reveal the same results. If it had been any other girl they wouldn't even be in the same room, maybe even the same building right now. Luckily she wasn't just any other girl though. Even so, he immediately stood up and turned the other way to wash his hands and get out of that situation as quickly as possible.

Yata opened the door and crossed his arms. "You need help?"

* * *

Akane Himura. What a strange girl. There seemed to be so much he could learn from her, yet at the same time there were things Tatara doubted he would ever know about her. She was polite and reserved around strangers. But with friends, with Yata, she became someone totally new. Cracks would form in the wall around her persona so anyone around her could take a peek without actually learning much about her. She could be quiet and respectful, or she could be loud and brash. Either way, she managed to carry her own mysterious kind of beauty, inside and out.

She had turned self-preservation into an art form, and done right, it took just as much skill and experience to break through. He hoped that one day they could learn to trust each other to such a point. He wanted to know her. Not in any kind of romantic way, but as a person she intrigued him, and he found himself mesmerized by the way she interacted with everything around her.

Not to mention the power within her. He didn't know what it was, but he knew, he _knew_ she was strong and she had the potential to even be dangerous. Whether to their enemies or themselves was yet to be determined. Either way, she was crucial to HOMRA. Hopefully he would live to the day when they found out why. He hadn't been wrong with a gut feeling like this before. After all, Mikoto had become a powerful, respected King and leader as Tatara had felt since middle school all those years ago. Just the same, Akane would become woven into the soul of the red clan, secrets and all.

Hopefully, she would simply come to share them at her own pace.

Just then, Mikoto appeared at the front door, Anna by his side. She looked around for a moment and, not finding what, or who, she was searching for, left the King's side to seek out Kusanagi in the kitchen. By now a gang member wandered around every here and there as the bar was usually closed to the public Sunday mornings. About half of the guys were there, no doubt at least a few more would appear within a couple of hours. The smell of an oncoming breakfast wafted through the air and Tatara found himself rather hungry at the thought. No doubt it would be amazing, it usually was. _I should go back into cooking for a while,_ he thought with a quiet smile.

"No." He blinked and looked over to the man who spoke.

"What, King?"

"You already tried that."

"You didn't like my cooking?" Tatara had a hurt expression on his face, all he sought was his King's approval. Well, that and world peace but of course his King came first.

Mikoto sighed, "It was fine."

"Then what's the problem with it?" Tatara smiled at him, obviously knowing he was about to throw the larger man into an innocent paradox of trying not to upset each other.

He narrowed his eyes, "Just don't."

Right as the wanna-be chef was about to annoy the King even further, yelling came from the bathroom and they both directed their attention towards it. To his surprise, Mikoto wandered over to the now open door without hesitation. _Looks like someone else has taken a liking to our guest, as well._ For some reason, he couldn't help but smile at the thought.

"I SAID I DON'T NEED HELP, BACK OFF!"

"WHAT ARE YOU- YOU CAN'T EVEN GET OFF THE FLOOR ON YOUR OWN STOP BEING STUBBORN!"

"NO!"

"AKANE I SWEAR TO FUCKI-" Yata suddenly yelled in surprise and there was a loud crash as he apparently fell and knocked supplies off of the sink counter. His head could be seen as he thudded to the ground, barely peeking out of the doorway. As he opened his eyes, he was looking at Mikoto's boots. "M-Mikoto-san, you're back!" The King grunted in return and looked into the bathroom in amusement.

There was Akane, still propped up against the far wall with bloodied bandages lying next to her. Medical supplies and cleaning fluid was strewn about the floor from when Yata had somehow been forced to the ground. Her hair was slightly disheveled and a wild, furious light caught in her narrowed, cold grey eyes as she breathed heavily from physical exertion. She looked like a wild animal that had been cornered and attacked. Despite her seemingly vulnerable condition, she could no doubt still put up quite the fight.

"You need help," said the leader of HOMRA with a level voice. He just looked at her with blank eyes, barely anything but boredom and perhaps a trace of amusement could be read from their golden depths.

"In more ways than one, but I'm good _thanks._ " She spat out the words sharply, defensively, and he only rolled his eyes. By now, Yata was leaning in the doorway, rubbing his head and glaring at the girl, grumbling about the accuracy of the statement she had made. Both he and Tatara, who was peacefully, happily watching the scene, looked in surprise as Mikoto approached her in a steady walk.

She held up her arms as if she would be able to push him back, no doubt she would try and fail. "Woah woah woah buddy, what're you thinking? I said I'm _good,_ I'm _fine_. _Back off._ " Without a bit of hesitation Mikoto walked up to her and suddenly he was carrying her with a shriek in his arms, bridal style, expression not changing in the slightest. "WHAT THE- PUT ME DOWN! I DON'T CARE WHO THE FLYING FUCK YOU THINK YOU ARE, MIKOTO SUOH, I WILL NOT BE-" she cut herself off as she apparently moved wrong in her struggle, wincing and choking out a yelp of pain. In the process, she had subconsciously tightened a hold around his neck, so she was practically hugging herself to his chest as she waited for the pain to die down. Mikoto waited for her grip to loosen slightly before walking back into the main room. She did _not_ look happy. Wanting to rip out someone's throat would be a much more accurate description. He looked rather satisfied with his work. For what reason, no one could tell. The job appeared to be completely lethal to any outsider.

As the members looked at the two in shocked silence, Akane refused to so much as glance at Mikoto, instead choosing to glare everyone else down. Yata thanked the stars that he was out of her line of fire. Although, he knew she would probably be pissed for a while. Instead of fighting that dragon at the moment, he opted for cleaning up the huge mess they had left in the main guest bathroom.

At this point, Akane could smell eggs, bacon, and maybe even pancakes as she entered the room in Mikoto's arms. It was overwhelming and made her stomach clench painfully. She was starved, and this served to distract her at least slightly from her current situation.

They reached the couch and Mikoto gently set her down in the spot she had apparently claimed over the last day or so. Raising an accusing finger, her eyes met his in a clash of grey and gold, ironic fury and nonchalance, and she snarled.

"Don't you _ever_ try that shit again, you hear me?"

"Or what?" he raised an eyebrow at her, amused by her tone.

"I'll figure it out," she spat the words out between gritted teeth before she was distracted.

Tatara had stepped in between the two, "Hey now, play nice," he held up a plateful of various foods to Akane, "Here. Eat." Her eyes widened at the sight, her breath caught as she took in the scent of it all and her mouth immediately began to water. She only nodded silently, mesmerized, with the biggest eyes Tatara had ever seen.

As if nothing had happened only moments ago, she began to contentedly eat from the various assortment of edibles presented to her, one bite at a time, savoring every bit. A few of the guys around the room noticed her strange behavior, wondering at what her life had been like before they found her.

One such individual now took his own signature seat across from her with his own meal. He had seen this before. It was the look of someone who was not unfamiliar with starvation and knew that it had been cured. It was the look of someone who was in the process of unknowingly being saved from a cold, harsh world. It was the look of yet another potential family member.

She began to slow her pace about a quarter of the way through the meal. Waving her fork around, she got out a question between bites of scrambled egg, "Who does the cooking around here, anyway?" Akane looked to her newest friend, Tatara, for an answer. The man only gestured over to the bar, where Kusanagi was on the phone. "Damn, the guy's got skill."

Tatara laughed, "That's what I keep telling him, no one around here listens though."

Akane rolled her eyes, "Apparently." She shot a quick glare at Mikoto, who had already finished his meal. He only turned away, obviously not caring that she was still mad at him.

Soon, her plate was set down on the coffee table as well, although she had only eaten a mere half of it.

"Is that all you're eating, Akane?"

"Oh. Um... yeah. Sorry, I don't mean to be rude. I guess I just don't have my appetite back all the way yet." Tatara figured this was an acceptable answer, only kindly taking it away to the kitchen for her. However, Mikoto noticed that she refused to look at anyone when replying, instead focusing on the floor with an arm around her stomach. Yata, too, who was now standing behind her with his own breakfast, frowned at the small interaction. He walked around the couch and sat down next to her, digging in as if he had heard nothing. Akane looked over at him and noticed something. "Hold still for a sec," Yata immediately froze, mid-bite.

Concern was etched into her face, even residing in her eyes, as she gently reached up to inspect his forehead. She traced her thumb over a dark mark and Yata winced, making her flinch in sympathetic pain.

"That was me, wasn't it? Dammit, I'm sorry. You feel ok?"

He pulled away from her and went back to eating, ignoring the small purple, slightly swollen portion of his forehead. "It's fine, you've given me worse."

She laughed, "True. Very true." It seemed that every new action she carried out brought on an audience. One group of people or another took interest in her strange, ever-changing behavior. She just didn't seem to cease in her surprises.

Just then, Akane overheard the last of Kusanagi's conversation over the phone, **"And you're sure the shipment is coming in tomorrow?... Alright... Yes, thank you... mhm, bye."** And he hung up with a sigh.

"I didn't know you spoke English, Kusanagi!" He jumped at being addressed for the first time that day by their newcomer.

"Well you have only been here a few hours. You speak?"

Yata snorted in amusement beside her, "Yeah, that and a dozen others." The girl reached over and flicked his hand, making him drop his fork in a loud clatter.

"Shut up, I do not." He raised an eye at her with that _are you serious?_ look.

"Do tell," chimed in the bartender. They were all eager to know about her, for some this was out of genuine curiosity, and for others it was the need to protect their clan and King.

"Well... I was never very good or interested in math or science or anything in school, so I studied a lot of language and music. Although the music was mostly admittedly not in-class, but that's beside the point," she laughed nervously, noticing that she had the room once again.

"So you're a polyglot?"

"Um... yeah, pretty much. I'm a little shaky with a couple now but I can still hold a conversation alright. It comes in handy every now and then.

"No kidding," Kusanagi leaned on his bar in fascination, "So how many languages _do_ you know?"

"I'm uh... technically fluent in 6, actually," another nervous laugh and a hand rubbing the back of her neck as someone coughed on a drink in the background out of shock.

A smile broke out on the bartender, "No kidding."

She shrugged, "my first was English, since I was born in America. Then I ended up moving here and boom, Japanese was number two. In middle school I learned Spanish and a little German, which I finished up on in High School with French and Russian. It's really not all that impressive though... I barely know anything else."

"Yeah, right, _nothing_ at all impressive about all that."

She smacked her old friend on the shoulder, "Shut up, you know it's true."

"Bull. _Shit_." He said firmly back, crossing his arms.

"Oh yeah? How so?"

"Well first of all, you'd always been a good fighter, why do you think I'm in the front line of HOMRA's defenses now? Oh, and don't forget music. What about that, huh?"

"So what, you caught me singing in class that _one_ time, what's your point?"

"Akane. You were in the school musical."

"Ok well _that's_ just because Hiro-" she froze when she said his name. They had been talking at ease for the first time. The others could see her relax and could picture what she may have been like in the past. But then the life was sucked out of her voice and Yata's face darkened. They looked away from each other, one appearing to be in agonizing pain, and the boy pretending not to be.

"You're good at other things, that was my point," he said quietly, focused on the table.

"Thanks, Yata." The bar was full of suffocating silence, it had been hit with a solid wall of it.

Someone whispered in the background, "What the hell just happened?"

* * *

 **A/N: 11 pages later and we have... a bunch a bruises, sexual tension, and an overbearing level of social awkardness. Sounds like a job well done to me.**

 **Sorry for the wait and I hope you all like this, there will be some action for sure in the next chapter.**

 **Favorite, Follow, and Free hugs to anyone who Comments! The rest of y'all have to pay _**

 **JK, love you all and until next time! 3**

 **-TFT**

 **P.S. Just a reminder... everything in bold means it's being spoken in English. If I incorporate other languages I'll put translations according to the lovely google translate down here :)))))**


	11. Chapter 11: Crimson Leopard

**11: Crimson Leopard**

The energy returned swiftly with the appearance of several more gang members and even a few customers. Hours passed as Akane wandered around. Sitting in one place watching the scenes for a while, sitting in another a bit later. She always seemed to be part of one conversation or another, due to the piqued interest of those around her. And when she wasn't, she was reaffirming her long lost friendship with Yata. They talked, pulled pranks, argued. There was almost a fist fight at one point but the swiftly recovering girl seemed to twist in a strange direction, and the onlookers only ended up laughing as the now overprotective boy helped her recover.

The sky dimmed as time went on. Akane moved more smoothly by the minute, no sign of the trauma she had endured but a slight wince when she yawned or maybe a limp in her step every here and there. She was well rested, fed, and even showered, for the first time in ages. She was practically glowing, and they could tell. Especially Tatara. He had a way of reading people that allowed him to notice the change in her even after so little time. He had also noticed how Yata, who had appeared more stressed than usual lately, seemed more at ease than he had in a few weeks. It warmed his heart to the core.

Anna had appeared as well after a while with a brief good morning and a shy smile at Akane before retreating to Mikoto's side again. Akane didn't pursue talking to her yet, deathly afraid of overwhelming and scaring away the child. She didn't know enough about her character yet to decide how to approach her. She was different, it was clear, making things more difficult than usual.

Akane did, however talk to Mikoto, Anna remaining a steady distance away when she was near.

 _What, am I threatening or something? I mean it's not like I'm cra- oh. Right. Fair enough._

It seemed like she was spending quite a lot of time in Mikoto's general vicinity too, having either quickly forgotten or forgiven the morning's events since everyone else was already too afraid of her wrath to bring it back up and tease her. They got along well, anyone could see it despite their contrasting personalities. She was very talkative yet understanding, a superb listener even when barely anything was being said. A simple look from him could inspire a whole new topic in her, and he didn't seem to mind. If he did, he would have walked away by then, Tatara was sure of this much. After all, they all knew he wasn't worried about coming off as rude. The Red King's vassal had to wonder if something had happened the other night between the two to help them build this newfound relationship, borderline friendship, even. When Mikoto would briefly glance at her in conversation, it was not the usual uncaring boredom that filled his eyes, but something engaged and engaging. Tatara wondered if intrigue was pushing it, but it was certainly getting there.

Towards the end of the day, Tatara desperately tried stopping her from confronting Kusanagi about paying something as ridiculous as rent. He really did. Not that he would be able to, but he thought it was worth the effort. He certainly thought he was more convincing than the others gave him credit for. It wasn't. He definitely wasn't. Akane walked right passed him with a roll of her eyes, as if he was some pestering child. The bartender, of course, refused to let her pay him anything, much to Tatara's relief. However, when she insisted on possibly working for him part time instead, helping clean up and wash dishes and such, Kusanagi found himself unable to refuse. He needed the help. Badly. And he figured it was a good way of keeping her around for a while. It was nice to have a new face in the bar and he knew that eventually she would end up attracting new customers. She wasn't a bad looking girl, in fact she was quite astonishingly beautiful through all her brashness, and she had a magnetic personality that would no doubt flow out his doors and onto the streets like a fishing line waiting for a catch. Yep. She was certainly alright in his book. Plus, Mikoto had obviously developed a liking towards her. She was officially stuck with them, whether she had a promise to keep with Yata or not, so they may as well put her to work.

At the moment, the sun had just set. The whole gang was there with their signature noise in tow. Chitose was telling some grand story and was building a bit of an audience in the bar, Akane in the front lines. She had finally begun to remember everyone's names throughout the course of the day and could recognize them all in a crowd, something she was rather proud of. Already the girl was building a rather close bond with the red clansmen. They laughed and talked with each other, leaving her feeling anything but excluded and cold. Their flame warmed anyone who walked in the door and stayed long enough to feel it.

However... she was becoming restless. Shifting in her seat, unable to focus and only basing her reactions on the faces of those around her, when in reality she was completely zoned out with her mind on other matters. She couldn't even listen properly anymore. All she had to do was sit and wait for a moment to get out, and hope that no one, namely Mikoto, was noticing her impatience now. She had heard earlier that a big group of them were going to some club later for drinks, but she had no idea when exactly that would be. Being underage at 19 and still "healing", she doubted they would let her go even if she tried. A couple of the more easy-going guys, including Rikio and Shohei, had already shown a bit of protectiveness over her. Not that she needed it, but she found it entertaining and didn't say anything in protest.

At one point a customer, some random greasy drunk, who obviously had to get his shit together, in his mid to late twenties had been relentlessly trying to talk to her. It only took half a moment for Kusanagi to narrow his eyes on the man and for Yata, in all his loud yelling glory, to practically drag him out with a couple others standing defensively by their new friend. It seemed like a solid minute and a few confused blinks before she even realized what had happened and started laughing and hugged them all. They joked about it for the rest of the evening.

 _Finally._

The group reconvened and got ready to head to a place a few blocks away, in the heart of the bustling city. A night club called _The Flintlock Candle_. They always had the best music being performed by live musicians, who worked there for half shifts as bartenders and servers between shows. Akane seemed to perk up when she found out where they were headed, once again seeming in the present and not distracted by other matters. She didn't speak up, though. She had somewhere else to be.

"You should come." Mikoto was standing beside her and had noticed the spark that entered her eyes, just as the name of the club suggested. He looked down at her and met her bright grey eyes, filled with child-like energy. She wanted to say yes. She wanted to go with them and dance and sing and steal sips of their drinks while they weren't looking. She wanted to screw around with Yata and get to know the guys better and just _live_ for once, without worrying about the rest of the messed-up world.

But all that came out was, "I can't." He frowned lightly down at her, brow furrowing just the slightest bit.

"You mean you won't."

"I _mean_ ," she looked into his eyes and hoped to god she could get away with this, she truly did want to go more than anything. But she also had responsibilities. And she had to protect her new family with every ounce of strength and ability she had. "I shouldn't." She shrugged apologetically and looked away.

 _Dammit dammit you're gonna give yourself away. He's gonna know you're lying. You can't trick a King. He knows what you are. I thought you said you were done with this shit?!_

Akane had to stop from telling herself to shut up out loud. That would probably not have ended well. "I just need some quiet for a while. Plus, I don't think my body's up for dancing quite yet, and you can't go to a _club_ without _dancing_." She said this like it was the most blatant thing in the world. Some kind of unbreakable rule. It made the King crack a smile.

"I manage just fine. And you've barely eaten. We'll get you something."

Akane was vaguely surprised at the length of his statement. A whole _three sentences_. She didn't expect such a compelling, lengthy speech or she would've gotten popcorn and a better seat.

"I'm good, chatterbox. But thank you. I'll walk there with you guys if you want though."

His head twitched in a lazy nod, "Couldn't hurt. Probably."

"Ha. Ha. Although knowing my luck maybe you should push me there in a wheelchair just to be safe."

"That would be quite a sight." She laughed lightheartedly, and he couldn't help it as the corners of his mouth curled into a slight smile.

"That it would be, Sparky. Quite a sight."

The guys began to meander out the door, conversations still mid-swing and full of the energy that comes with the partying night life. At the last second, though, their new guest dashed into a back room where they had stored her violin for the time being, and was back and out the door with them before anyone really noticed she was missing.

The streets were still busy, bustling with people going to and from work in the city dusk. Bright lights flooded the streets a few blocks ahead, the heart of Shizume shone and reminded Akane of her childhood, as short as it was. She tried to look beyond the sea of people flooding down the pavement but made no progress.

"Hey Rikio, how's the view up there?" Even though she had lived on these streets for the last couple of years, she never had the chance to really come out of the dark alleys and take in the sights. Her freedom wasn't exactly as free as she had hoped, but she hadn't had room to complain either.

Kamamoto shrugged, "It is what it is, Ms. Akane. Wanna take a look?" Her beaming smile, rival to the neon billboards ahead, was his only response.

As they all turned the corner onto the main block, the guys were messing around like kids, and the group was loudly chanting a drinking song, lead by a strange, raven haired girl sitting on Kamamoto's shoulders, throwing caution to the wind, with a boy in a beanie hovering close by in case she fell. The passers-by could tell that they hadn't even started drinking yet. Their words weren't slurred, their eyes were clear, and their walk was still steady and straight. But the pure joy surrounding them leaked into the auras around them, turning heads and spreading smiles as strangers laughed at the group heading for the Flintlock Candle.

None of them noticed the narrowed golden eyes aimed at Rikio's back without any reasonable explanation in all the jubilant commotion.

Yata helped Akane down from his partner's shoulders when they got there, and they all milled about outside for a bit, just talking with no need to rush. After a while though, someone complained about the cold and they began to file in, teasing the gang member for being weak against the elements.

"You sure you're not coming in?" Yata was among the last left out with her.

"Yeah, I'm sure, I just had to get out of the bar for a while. As much as I've grown to love that place, I haven't been indoors for that long in years. I missed the city air, as shitty as it is. I'll head home to keep Anna and Tatara company in a bit."

"Alright then, you'll have to come another time though." He tried to playfully ruffle her hair and she slapped his wrist away with a laugh.

"Just try and stop me." She smiled and stuffed her hands in the pocket of her sweater, "See you later, Yata." He waved back, and with a nod at Mikoto that was only returned with a calm stare, she turned and disappeared into the cityscape at a gentle stroll.

After she was sure they couldn't see her any longer, she pulled up her hood, hiding her face and dove into a dark alleyway, breaking into a run. Her lung injury only mildly ached and she couldn't help but smile as she dashed through the home she had only just recently left. This was _her_ world now. She was back. And nothing could stop her.

 _Except maybe another bullet._

 _Don't ruin my fun._

Soon she slowed her pace and sauntered up to an old warehouse. The doors were all rusted and broken, barely a shard of glass was left in the windowpanes, and the roof was but a memory. Dew dripped from a hole in the floor above down to the cement ground level and plants crawled lazily up the stone, run-down walls. The girl's footsteps echoed in light taps, nearly as silent as the steady dripping of the water surrounding her. Akane found her way to a panel in the floor in the far corner of the large room, and the scraping of stone against stone hurt her ears as she tried to drag it to the side. Underneath, she had revealed a hole, only large enough for a few belongings.

Reaching in, she pulled out a plain black backpack, showing signs of obvious age with a rip every here and there, threads sticking out along seems. Opening the bag, she found a red ribbon to tie her thick, flowing ebony hair into a high pony tail. The ribbon trailed down and stopped just below the tops of her shoulders. It swung with her hair as she moved and pulled the next item out of the backpack. Carefully and meticulously, she wrapped her wrists in strips of white cloth, grimacing as she came across the occasional red spot, no doubt a bloodstain from the past. She followed by doing the same to her ankles, just in case. She always felt better with the extra support. After this, she threw the sneakers she had been wearing into the floor hole and replaced them with dark, lace-up combat boots.

Last but not least, she zipped up the backpack and slung it over one shoulder, tying a red bandana over her mouth and nose to conceal her face. Regardless of whether or not it would stay there, she felt it completed the look she had built for herself. Before leaving, she double checked the contents of her bag. She put her near-empty pill bottle in it, which she had snagged before leaving at the last second. Sitting with this was a pocket knife and a loaded handgun. She could never be too safe, especially where she was going. With a final thought, she put her new sweater in the hole with her shoes. If any evidence of the night's events showed itself on Tatara's gift, she would be totally screwed. This left her in black jeans and a white t-shirt, of which she had rolled the sleeves up and tied at the side, so it wouldn't hang as loosely on her frame. She made a mental note to keep everything as clean as possible and to look for something else to wear on the way, although this endeavor would most certainly be unsuccessful.

Akane kicked the panel back into place, once again concealing her belongings, and she headed out of the abandoned building with a newfound confident spring in her step. Taking the blackest of alleys, keeping to the shadows and only allowing the slightest slivers of light to reveal her, the girl made her way through the dark of Shizume.

* * *

There was a guarded door in the alleyway. A giant brute of a man stood nonchalantly leaning against the frame, picking his teeth, pretending to simply be minding his own business. But that was never how the real world worked. No one knew how to mind business like they did everyone else's, and this guy was no exception.

A small girl with a slender frame and face hidden in vermillion smirked, she could take him down if she wanted to. Not much of a guard really. But she would have to bite her tongue and swallow her snarl for now. This wasn't the place for such things.

Akane Himura leaned against the other side of the doorframe in the same fashion, looking at her nails like she gave a crap, and as if she didn't see the thug before her.

"So, big guy, what's the word on the street?"

He eyed her rather incredulously, like he couldn't believe she was standing where she was. However, he quickly regained his composure and responded as planned, "I was hoping you could tell me."

She shrugged, portraying her devious smile through her eyes, "Dunno for sure, could've sworn I heard something about a lily bed."

He grunted and knocked loudly on the metal door, stepping out of her way. It quickly swung open, "Why don't you see for yourself..." After a moment's hesitation he added, "But you better watch your back, little lady, things can get pretty rough in there."

She chuckled and patted his shoulder in a friendly manner, "Won't they know it, big guy."

And immediately she was surrounded by chaos.

The tall structure was mostly hallowed out, with viewing balconies lining the walls for several floors up, filled with the richer, douchier of the general population. The ground, though, was flooded by maniacs fueled by the thirst for blood. They all screamed, shouted, and chanted in the eerie red light, surrounded by debris and crowded together in the mosh pit, shoulder to shoulder. The air was sick with smoke from cigarettes and who knew what else. Anything was game in there, there were no rules and no one to abide by, let alone enforce, them.

She loved it with all her heart.

 _I know this life isn't for everyone._

For a second there was a tugging at her shoulder, a feeling she was used to. She spun around and grabbed the wrist of the man trying to steal from her bag. With a single motion, he cried out in pain as his entire arm was twisted unnaturally, and the girl narrowed her stormy eyes. Those in their direct vicinity moved a step or two away but didn't cease in their current actions.

 _Especially not for the sane._

The referee blew a whistle and tugged one man off another, both bleeding profusely from various areas on their bodies. The unconscious one was tossed to the ground, off to the side of the elevated fighting ring, and the other managed to stumble out on his own to collect his winnings. At the startled cry of Akane's victim, the ref turned to locate the source and the two locked eyes. The strange man immediately broke out into a huge smile, paired with a joyous laugh.

"Well if it isn't my favorite damsel in distress, I was wondering when we'd see you again."

She dropped the anonymous thief's limb and he scrambled away. "It's good to see you too, Yuuto. You got any room for another street rat delinquent like myself tonight?"

"For you my dear, always." He held his hand out to help her into the ring, still grinning.

 _But it's the life for me._

Standing tall in the strange, red moonlight, filtered from broken glass above, Hyou Shu took the stage and silence fell upon the balconies, with various audience members snickering. But those who recognized her looked away, faded to the back of the crowd, with only a few remaining to watch the show with wide, wonderstruck eyes.

"Let's take on two today, Yuu. I need the cash." She said this under her breath so only he could hear and dumped her bag in the corner of the ring, she knew no one would be dumb enough to take it.

He laughed quietly, "That's my girl, I knew I could count on you to bring an end to a slow day."

She cracked her knuckles and rolled her head from one side to the other. Her eyes were slowly freezing over, becoming blank and painfully cold, ready to stab right through whoever might stand before her. Both literally and figuratively.

"So, which two of you suckers out there are ready to take on the bloodied beast of the jungle, the crimson leopard, the mighty HYOU SHU!" He raised his arms in the air dramatically, reveling in the theatrics of it all. It almost made the girl in the ring smile. Almost.

A couple of big guys stepped up to the challenge. Giving each other a look she easily recognized, the _this is going to be such a joke_ look. Now _this_ made her crack a smile, not that anyone could see through the red bandana still shrouding her face. Soon enough the bets were in and the opponents faced each other on the battlefield.

 _You see, hope comes in many forms. It's a complete variable in these crazy lives of ours._

Yuuto stood between them, practically licking his lips as he saw the cash flow in at the crazy odds against his little friend. "Alright, you lousy fucks, you all know the rules. I'll call it when one side is down, no guns, no knives, et cetera et cetera. And most of all..." A startling, crazed look entered the man's eyes as he prepared to take a step back, "...have fun."

 _It comes in different shapes and sizes. It works in mysterious, inexplicable ways, just like everything else._

"This won't last long enough to have fun," said one of the brutes, and the other smirked in agreement.

"I agree," said Hyou Shu from under her bandana, "No fun at all." She took a battle stance and gave a silent hello to the presence suddenly standing behind her. Shadows clung to him and dead brown eyes peered out with his signature glowing smile while the spectators seemed to look right through him. He was there though, she knew he was. He had to be.

" _ **I knew you couldn't resist me for long, Hane-chan."**_

Yuuto blew his whistle and jumped back, leaving the crimson leopard to hunt her prey.

 _And this is the way it works for me._

* * *

 _The afternoon air was crisp, yet warm and comfortable in the sun. A bird passed by overhead, and a few scattered people wandered around below like ants. Something soft and mournful pierced the air, the quiet sobs of a girl, once strong, now only a child, as she hid from her peers on the roof of the building._

 _The bell had rung ages ago, but she hardly cared right then. More important matters were at hand._

" **I told you not to tell him."**

" _ **I know,"**_ _she choked out to the soft voice in her ear. It was low, powerful, comforting, ever-present in her life. Haunting her past even now._

" **Do you enjoy this pain?"**

" _ **No!"**_ _She bit out the word and threw it at him._ _ **"Of course not."**_ _The girl hid her head in her knees, which were pulled up to her chest._ _ **"Why would I want to hurt him?"**_

 _The voice laughed._ **"Jealousy, of course. He's just so** _ **perfect**_ **, isn't he? You want him to have a taste of your pain."** _The words echoed in her ear, repeating over and over again like whispers from an entire crowd. It made her squeeze her eyes shut and throw her hands against her throbbing ears as she whimpered from the sheer intensity of it. They were so loud._

" _ **No, no that's not it... that's not- ugh shut**_ **UP!** _ **That isn't it!"**_

" **Of** _ **course**_ **it is, silly girl."**

" _ **But I**_ **like** _ **him. A lot. I just want him to be happy. I want him to trust me."**_ _She hiccupped through her tears, looking into the voice's bright blue eyes._

" **Well those are two very different things, darling."** _He chuckled._ **"So... which do you want** _ **more**_ **."** _The last word jumped on her shoulders and the weight almost made her cry out in shock and pain. She felt like her chest would implode yet explode at the same time. What did she want? What did she_ want _? What did_ she _want? Why did it matter? It didn't. She didn't. But that word was so heavy. She just wanted the weight gone. That's what she wanted._

" _ **I don't... I just... I just want this to go away."**_

 _A smile appeared before her, warm and kind and gentle and safe, and a large, rough, comforting hand reached out. The hand she only vaguely remembered from her childhood yet that sat there waiting patiently for her, every wrinkle, every scar and crevice clear as day._

" **Thatagirl. I knew you'd get there."** _She smiled and looked up into the man's eyes that had always been as deep and boundless as the sea, with complete and utter trust. Trust that should have died years ago, but was still being dragged along by a burning thread._ **"We can fix it all. Together."**

 _She took his hand and carefully stood on shaking legs, weak knees. Everything was sore. Her hands, her mind, her chest. Her heart ached. Constantly. Her eyes stung, and it felt like they were being filled with led. Voices from below floated up to her on the autumn breeze, but none pierced the hazy bubble around her mind._

 _They walked to the edge of the roof and peered down at the ant people. They were so small. Insignificant. Yet she didn't even feel the slightest bit of vertigo, let alone the crippling fear she fell victim to whenever she was this high up. Were they even real? She sighed. Probably not. Either way, she wanted them gone. She didn't want to have to look at them anymore. Their weightlessness, their smiles. Ridiculous. Stupid. She didn't want to have to look at them for another moment._

 _The figure beside her let go of her hand and stepped up onto the short wall protecting them from the ground below. He stood there for a moment, just looking down at the bugs._ **"I understand. They're hateful, aren't they?"** _He held out his hand once again. The child nodded. She followed his lead._

 _Side by side they stood at the edge of forever. She felt like she could see the whole world below. Her whole world. Stagnant. Beautiful from a distance. She had no desire to have another close encounter. She had no desire to stay._

" **Look."** _He pointed with his other large hand, a symbol of hope, and she saw before her a bridge of light._ **"You never have to look at them again. You never have to look down or be afraid again. Everything, all the joy in the world, could be yours."**

 _She smiled. Nodded. Wiped her tears away and took a deep, shaky breath._

" **Now go, my dear, and we can all be together again."**

" _ **Together."**_ _She whispered the word and felt a small bit of the weight disappear. Her leg confidently reached out to walk down this glowing path to a life, to a new joy, and-_

" _Hane!" Something grabbed her wrist just before she could fall, leaving her half-suspended with only one foot on the wall. The figure beside her turned dark like a shadow, furious and snarling, just like in her nightmares, and faded to nothing. The fog around her mind finally dispersed and the bridge disappeared, she could hear the wind and the unknowing ants below her as she hung 10 stories in the air._

 _Her eyes went wide, and Akane shrieked, jumping back as fast as she could and landed on whoever had saved her. The wind was knocked out of him, but he still tried to catch her as he landed on his back, impacting harshly on the cement. She barely payed him any mind as she scrambled away from the edge, no doubt scratching up her palms, and curled up into a terrified ball, closing her eyes tightly shut again._

" _Not again not again..." she chanted. It had been months since her last critical episode, and if this meant they would become recurring again, the she didn't know how long she would last._

" _Tell me about it. I thought I was done saving your ass for a while." The boy got up with a wince and walked over, crouching before her to see if she was at least physically alright. He would never admit it, but he had worry plastered all over his face._

 _She death glared up at him. He rubbed the back of his neck and laughed nervously, all the while seeming to shrink away from her._

" _Uh... Too soon?"_

" _Well seeing as I almost accidentally killed myself again not thirty seconds ago... YES, YATA! TOO FUCKING SOON!" He winced as she raised her voice and tears started coming to her eyes again. They were red, irritated and puffy, and the old tracks hadn't even disappeared yet. It was no mystery why she was up here, after all these years so close to her he knew better. Brave, strong, dignified Akane Himura would never let anyone see her cry. Even he had rarely had the opportunity. So she didn't even have to say it. Someone... some_ thing... _was breaking her heart._

 _Which meant it was breaking his too._

" _Sorry... you really scared the shit out of me back there." He sat beside her and looked over, debating whether or not to try to hug her. He decided it was better to not. He just looked forward at the ground in the awkward silence as she tried to regain her breathing, remembering how many times in the past they had been in this exact situation. "I'm glad Aiko decided to call me when she did. She was really worried that you didn't show up to class... and she said you were acting weird during lunch." He paused before daring to go on, giving her the chance to stop him. "You wanna tell me what's up? Ugh," He threw his head back in frustration, not at her but at himself, "Is this because I couldn't come last night? I'm sorry, I would've, but my mom's really been on my back lately when I am home. I really really tried though, I'll go next time, and the time after that and..."_

" _I told him." Her expression didn't change through all of his ramblings. She wiped her nose on her sleeve and sniffled like a small child, just staring straight forward. It was like she didn't even hear him._

 _Yata had a suspicion of what she was talking about. Her and their newbie had been getting closer by the day, and while it scared him in the back of his mind, he knew she had to learn to trust other people too. But if he ever hurt her..._

 _He was a dead man._

" _Told who?"_

" _Hiro, who do you think? He knows now... he knows what I did." She glanced over at him for only a moment. "Well, most of it. He at least knows what I am."_

" _And what do you think that is?"_

 _She laughed coldly and sniffed again, blinking back the last of her tears. "Think? Yata, I'm a cold-blooded killer and we both know it. And now Hiro knows it too."_

" _Hane, you're anything but cold blooded. You can be a bitch sometimes, sure, but if that was the case then we wouldn't be up here. You wouldn't even have told him in the first place." She shrugged. A nonverbal_ whatever _. He sighed, why couldn't she see it? Why couldn't she see how amazing she was? She was stronger than whatever was inside her and they all knew it, even if he was the only one who knew what she was facing. She kept these matters private and would hardly ever speak of them, but they all knew there was something in her head. They all knew she was sick. Yet they all had faith she could beat it no matter what. And she could. She just had to remember it every once in a while. "So... what_ did _you tell him, if he doesn't know everything?"_

 _Akane took a deep breath and replayed the whole thing in her mind. "I told him about the beginning. At least of what I can remember... I was so young back then. But," She looked over at him through the corner of her eye. Yata was the only one she trusted enough to talk about this with, and even with him it was difficult. If she ever lost him... she probably wouldn't make it. "He knows about the fire. He knows what I did, what happened."_

" _Did you show him?"_

 _She looked at Yata incredulously, a slight bit of humor returning to her eyes. "Yeah because_ that _wouldn't have been awkward."_

 _He shrugged and laughed, "You showed me." He had to fight his face from turning pink at the memory._

 _She rested her chin on her knees again and mumbled, "That was different."_

" _Uhuh. Sure it was, whatever you say." He turned serious again. "Does he know..." He cleared his throat, "Does he know about the thing after that? You know..." She looked at him with alarm, "About your da-"_

" _No. No no no. I'm never gonna tell him about that. Anyone. Ever. Yata, don't you dare ever tell anyone. Promise me. Promise!"_

" _Ok ok," he threw up his hands defensively as he saw her get all frantic and crazy eyed, "I promise. I won't bring it up again."_

 _She took a shaky breath and closed her eyes, sitting back again and stretching her legs out in front of her. "I saw him today. That's who it was this time. I don't get why-" she choked up for a moment, "I don't get why he keeps coming back."_

 _He hesitantly reached over and took her hand, holding it tightly. He wouldn't dare with anyone else, let alone a girl, but this was Hane. His best friend. They trusted each other with everything. Every dark secret and every guilty pleasure. They were family. And right now his family needed him._

" _I don't know either, Hane," he said quietly. "But one day I'll find a way to scare him off for good. We'll get through this. Together."_

 _She opened her eyes and smiled at him weakly, giving his hand a squeeze._

" _Together."_

* * *

 _A few hours later, they stood outside a house just a couple of blocks from the Ashinaka train station. It was plain, boring from the outside. The usual beige walls and white doorframe, brown roof. But to her it looked like hell. Still dressed in her school uniform, Akane, now collected and composed, stood outside the gate by a mailbox labelled_ Maruyama _with a small suitcase next to a strange, chestnut-haired boy, skateboard in hand._

 _"I can't believe it's already Friday."_

 _"We'll miss you, Hane, but you'll be back before you know it." Yata handed her backpack over to her, having taken it on the train while she wasn't looking. She wasn't happy about it, but she never was. He did it every week anyway. He couldn't help himself. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "You're sure you and your aunt don't have anywhere else to go?"_

 _She shook her head. "We don't have a choice. And I'm afraid something bad will happen to her if I don't come back on the weekend like he tells me to."_

 _The boy's expression darkened. "I don't like it."_

 _She hoisted the bag higher up on her shoulder, "Yeah well, you don't have to like it. We just have to survive it."_

 _"I'm telling you," he glared angrily at the front door, "one day I'll be strong enough to get you out of here. I'll throw him into hell where he belongs, and you'll never have to come back."_

 _She looked sadly over to him, "That'll be the day, Misaki." She turned and hugged him before having to say goodbye for the next two days. "But I can't wait to see it." She said it softly to him, and he hugged her tightly back before releasing her and watching her walk through the gate and down the stone path to the front porch._

 _"Hey," he called out and she turned to look over her shoulder one last time, "If ya gotta get out, you know how to find me." She nodded assuredly with a confident smile, and knocked on the front door, his queue to quickly disappear from sight and skate down the street._

 _She watched the last bit of hope she had left race away with the wind singing beside him under the setting sun._

* * *

Mikoto sat at the dimly lit bar, beer in hand, listening to Chitose try to sweet talk some girls next to him. The music was loud. The people were loud. Yet no one had anything to say. At least... it didn't seem like they did anymore.

He used to truly enjoy the Flintlock Candle, but tonight was different. Everyone seemed fake, everything in the room irritated him to the point where he had to keep his aura in check. A fire breaking out would not be good.

But, as yet ANOTHER random girl gave her shot at hanging from him and trying to get him to buy her a drink, the idea became more and more tempting. He closed his eyes and sighed in frustrated annoyance. The girl and her friends whined at him.

On another night, he would've given in to their tricks. Gotten them wasted, taken them home, had a little fun. But now they just disgusted him. He wanted them gone. Away from him at least. Somewhere where they could be someone else's problem. This made them seem even more nagging.

He looked at them through half opened, lazy, uncaring eyes, showing them coldness for all his warmth. He was sick of them. Their fake laughs. So hollow, forced, needy. Their dull, dead eyes, shining only with the opportunity to get something out of him. Like vultures.

He never would have thought along those lines two days ago. But he didn't know what had changed. His head had been fucking with him lately, trying to tell him something that he just couldn't see. He thought getting out of that bar would help, but being around all these fake tramps was making it worse than ever.

Mikoto closed his eyes and sighed angrily again, passing his hand over his face, trying to futilely gain some clarity. Either way, he couldn't push away that feeling that distracted him so much. The one that made him anxious to the point of nausea. It was the feeling he got whenever Tatara ended up in the hospital, or when one of the guys didn't come back to the bar after a job for a couple of days. It was like he was worried about someone.

It was like something important was missing... and he had to get it back.

* * *

 **A/N: Soooooo this chapter felt like it was a LOT longer than 10 pages when I was writing it... also it took fucking forever so sorrrryyyyy But I feel like it still has a ton of important character development and the plot is progressing a lot faster. Yay! No more lame, boring buildup!**

 **Anyway~ so who was expecting street fights, huh? I thought that final reveal ended up being pretty cool, and finally entering Yata into her backstory. I know the italics and everything are kind of confusing, but you'll get used to it, I promise.**

 **I still haven't decided whether or not to have a flashback in the next chapter or to keep the current plot going at a good momentum, so lemme know your thoughts on that pleassseee**

 **AND ONE MORE THING!  
I've been posting my status updates and funny quotes and stuff for Akane and Deepest Red on my tumblr, so if you want a good laugh and to stay up to date, I'll put the link in my bio. Thanks everyone!**

 **Favorite, Follow, Comment to let me know what you think and share any suggestions or helpful information. I've been doing my best on schizophrenia research but I'm sure I've still got some oblivious, ignorant holes and such.**

 **Love you all and see ya later!**

 **-TFT**

 ***awkwardly moonwalks into oblivion***


	12. Chapter 12: Freezing Blood

12

Time was crumbling.

Inching along as it dragged its body through the thick ocean of space. The screams around Hyou Shu barely pierced it, filled with excitement yet lethargic and slow to leave her mind at the same time.

It was ridiculously annoying. Luckily, that's exactly what she needed. Annoyance fuels hate, hate fuels anger, and anger fuels the fighting fire.

The brutes lumbered in her general direction, swaying from side to side with their weight like bears about to go into hibernation. About to face a true hunter.

Finally, after what felt like hours, one of the giants took a swing. The girl ducked to the side and kneed him in the stomach. The crowd reacted with "ooh's" and happily surprised laughter. _Lunatics._ She tossed him aside for a moment like he was nothing and turned to the other, who was now charging at her like a great, clumsy rhinocerus.

She spun and bounced gracefully around her opponents, never getting off balance. It seemed like she was floating above the ground, as her feet barely touched the surface. They were starting to see why she had earned her name.

Even when they did manage to land a hit she barely slowed, using the momentum to roll away and regain composure or simply fight through it. It wasn't long before everyone could tell that the men were fighting a losing fight.

As she danced with time, Hiro guided her steps. He watched her from a few paces away, hands behind his back. He reminded her of when she was in tae kwon do as a child and the sensei would inspect every move she made. If she was about to turn the wrong way, Hiro would nudge her foot and she would end up ducking away from an unexpected swing. His hands spurred her fists forward, keeping her wrists straight and giving every blow the maximum amount of power she could give.

 ** _"Go left… now right… no darling, you've done this before… stop fighting like a child, swing left!"_**

She suddenly spun around and faced an unsuspecting patch of audience, where she perceived her delusion to be standing. **"Shut.** ** _UP!_** " Fortunately, everyone around her figured she was just screaming back at the sea of crazies. Unfortunately, as Hiro stood and glared at her, one of the men came up from behind and tackled her to the ground so she was lying on her stomach, being crushed by the giant's weight.

 _Fuck you, Hiro._

 ** _"Well then next time be nice."_** She coughed as the air was knocked out of her and she struggled, trying to come up with a way to break free.

She felt the man's breath on her ear, "Got'cha now, sweetheart." Hyou Shu could practically feel his greasy smile. She grimaced and felt bile rise up in her throat.

"Oh yeah?" She forced the words out, still mildly suffocating, "How's _this_ for sweet?" She swung her head back and broke his nose in a gush of blood and a satisfying _crunch_. As he recoiled back away from her, she flipped over on her back and was on her feet in seconds, only having to shake her head once to clear the dizziness out, all thanks to her pal adrenaline.

The brute was still cradling his face, blood oozing from between his fingers as she launched herself at him, ending up on his shoulders with her legs around his neck. He froze for a second in astonishment, no one had hardly seen her move before she achieved this new vantage point, and his hands quickly went to her legs, trying to pry her off of him as she slowly cut off his air supply. His partner in crime stood there watching, out of his depth and completely unsure of what to do.

Thing 1 crashed down to the ground like an old tree moments after, with Hyou Shu leaping from his shoulders and landing securely on her feet before he hit cement.

"One down, ladies and gents!" She could barely make out Yuuto calling out in the background.

 _I think it's about time we wrap this up,_ she thought as she assessed Thing 2.

 ** _"Getting bored?"_**

 _Actually… yeah. These guys were lame._

Hiro chuckled behind her and gave a serpentine smile to the last man standing. As if he could see.

She decided to fake a bit of a limp, and she shook her head, bandana still in place, like she couldn't quite get a grasp of her surroundings. The lug smiled, figuring he had the upper hand.

 _Ha. Right._

He charged at her and realized his mistake too late as her focus zeroed in on him and she landed a perfectly placed hit to his temple, sending him sprawling next to his colleague. He was still conscious though, and trying to find his way back to his feet. The girl rolled her eyes in annoyance, and a swift kick to the head ended his comical struggle.

She looked to the referee for confirmation. He just smiled and clambered into the ring with gangly limbs, lifting her bloodied, wrapped fist into the air.

"Our champion, HYOU SHU! I told you she was a beast, ladies and gents. A _BEAST_!"

She scowled, holding back rage against herself, against the men on the floor and the demons in the crowd. Against her bloodied hands and sore wrists, her aching head. Against her second shadow, cast by no light that anyone could see.

A Brown paper bag of her winnings was tossed up to Yuuto and passed onto her. She clapped a hand on his shoulder before clambering ungracefully out of the ring, stuffing the paper into her backpack.

"Thanks, ya miserable reptile."

"No, thank _you,_ my dear."

She sarcastically saluted and sauntered out, the audience making way for her like the parting Red Sea.

* * *

The cat crept out of the jungle and back into the real world, catch slung over her back. Lights flashed and sirens blared, momentarily overwhelming her senses. When she came to, the guard still stood by his post, but his body was rigid and his fas was pale. Akane Himura smirked.

"Told ya' they'd know it, newbie."

He seemed to relax ever-so-slightly, "And I should have believed you."

The mild shake in his voice made her smile widen as she tried not to laugh. Not that he could see with her disguise. "Have a good night," she waved behind her as she walked off, not paying attention to his bewildered expression.

"A-and you too, miss." She heard him reply faintly as she turned the corner.

Into yet another shit storm she hadn't asked for.

The first man threw the girl against the brick wall with brute force, knocking the air out of her body. Eyes widened in surprise, and soon fury, as the unidentified stranger pushed a knife against her exposed throat. She still somehow managed to cling onto her bag with her right arm.

 _This is_ mine, _assholes._

"I lost a loooot of money to your little stunt back there, kitty cat. I want it back."

Piercing greys narrowed and she spat her response back at him. "I don't give a fuck." The pressure on her throat increased. "And you know what the funny part is?" Her head recoiled slightly from the coolness of it. Then she kicked him in the stomach and shoved the stranger against the opposite wall. The blade clattered to the ground and the man crumpled with it, knocked out from the impact. "It wasn't just a stunt."

She turned to reclaim her hard-earned prize.

 _Shit_.

"Shit," she hissed. In all the commotion, she hadn't even noticed the thief's partner, who had snatched the bag and was not careening down the alleyway away from her. But he was large and clumsy, like a loping bear.

Running was not his strong suit.

Akane took off after him at a sprint. Fortunately for her, running was what she did best. If you couldn't book it, you couldn't survive in her lifestyle.

The stars alone observed the pursuit.

And they laughed as she jumped and tackled him to the ground.

He retaliated and swung a knife at her even as she had him pinned to the ground. He got lucky, or rather, very very unlucky, as he left a deep gash on her right shoulder. She cried out briefly, then swiftly disarmed him and brought her fist back with a snarl. He was shortly out like a light.

Akane checked him, but he had nothing of value on him. Just a pawn. With a sigh of irritation she began walking back towards the warehouse, once again with her loot.

As she got nearer, she took a turn that was oddly off-course. It curved a bit more and had some misplaced stonework in the ground. Another alley. This one missing a guard.

 ** _"Haneeeee, you don't really want to do this, do you?"_** Hiro walked beside her silently. Always silent. Always the shade in the sun.

 **"I have to. You know that."**

 ** _"Do I? Do you? Of course you don't_** **have** ** _to. You don't have to do anything if you don't want to so long as we're together."_**

 **"Well… maybe that's the problem."** He glared and faded away into the background.

The room she soon entered was small and dimly lit with flickering, yellowed light. It appeared empty, but the windowless door in the back, behind a blank counter, suggested otherwise. Akane rechecked her bandana, endsuring it still hid the majority of her face.

A tall, bony old man with mid-length white hair stepped out of the mysterious back door, light glinting off his circular, rimmed glasses as he took purposeful strides towards the counter.

"I would recognize those eyes anywhere," his voice was raspy and hoarse, like old, chipped paint. "Welcome back, my dear, it's good to see you're still alive." She only nodded back with an intense gaze. This guy had some serious Nightmare Before Christmas vibes. She had never spoken a word to him, and it wasn't something on her to do list either. The less they knew about each other, the better.

She pulled the entirety of her prize out of her bag and dumped it disgracefully on the table.

 ** _"Don't, Akane."_**

The old man rooted around it for a moment then stood tall once again.

"It'll do, but don't start getting sticky-fingered on me, girl." She bit back some harsh words and glared piercingly at him as the stash was relocated in a safe behind the countertop.

 ** _"Just kill him and be over with it."_**

 _No. Not this time. Let me do this, Hiro._

The 'doctor' walked into the back room, leaving Akane to fight her paranoia of him not returning.

But as always, he did. The unassuming, small, white paper bag was placed before her only briefly until she snatched it and left the snake's hole as quickly as possible.

 ** _"Getridofit getridofit_** **now."**

"It'll have to be more next time my dear." She froze with her hand on the doorknob, refusing to turn around. "Business is tough in the amisulpride market lately, especially with rising import fees and keeping this off the book for you, dear. If you want to control those hallucinations of yours, it's gonna cost about 150% of what I'm getting now."

He said nothin else, so she darted back into the night with shaking hands.

"Slimy bastard."

 ** _"You don't need it, you don't have to keep fighting for this, Akane."_** He was starting to sound desperate, begging. She knew it was just a game. He only wanted unrestricted access to her head. He wanted control.

She reached into the bag and popped a pill. No water necessary. Well… it probably was but she rarely heeded suggestions.

 ** _"Why do you insist on hurting me? I thought we were team."_**

 **"We were, Hiro."** She stuffed the 'prescription' into her bag. **"Until you up and decided to off yourself."** He was beginning to fade. Soon he would be gone for a few hours.

 ** _"It was all for you though, my love."_** Akane fought back tears as his voice finally disappeared and the old warehouse came into view.

 _I know._

* * *

The loose stone in the floor hid her other life. She traded it for bloodied bandages and an empty bag. With a couple of winces, she got the sweater on that Tatara had loaned her, and she was once again Homra's newfound guest. She only had to get back before her shoulder bled too much.

At a quickened pace, it barely took her 10 minutes to get back to the bar. Carefully opening the side door, she checked around the corners of the doorframe to see if anyone was awake. From what she could see, Tatara and Anna had already gone to bed, and the guys weren't back from their own late-night excursion quite yet. It probably wouldn't be long though.

She ran across the hall in a flash to pull out the bandages that had been scattered around the floor only hours ago. But when she opened the cabinet…

 _Why me?_

There was nothing there. Yata must have put them all upstairs and she hadn't noticed. And to make things even better, just as she was about to continue her search the gang burst in with an explosion of sound.

 _Don't notice me don't notice me stay over there._

Laughter was everywhere, but she had no choice but to wait for it to die. For the next 10 minutes or so, she sat with her back against the door, holding a hand over her shoulder to try to at least slow the bleeding. She could hear the speech fade as Kusanagi ushered them out of his domain and they all went home, one by one. There was a bit more muffled speech, then light footsteps traveling up the stairs.

 _Mikoto must be asleep by the couch then._

After a mild struggle, Akane made it back onto her feet, took a deep breath, and turned the doorknob. Slowly. Silently. They couldn't find her until all of the blood was gone. She had to be rid of it asap.

She opened the door to familiar hazel eyes, creased into an unhappy glare.

"Why're you hiding, Akane?"

* * *

There was a spring in his step and a ring in his laugh, and he didn't scowl or growl or snarl quite as much. They could all tell. Yata was happy.

And there was no way they would give him a break about it. Y'know… it. The _girl._

"So, _Yata-san,_ you and Akane seem… _chummy._ "

The boy glared at Chitose and had to practically yell over the music in the bar. Nearly everyone else was a bit tipsy by now, but he was still all clear since he was too young. And he didn't like the boundaries that were being crossed in their inebriated state. "Well we've known each other a long time, fuck off."

"Ehhh, I dunno boys, it seems like a bit more'n that."

Rikio laughed, "Yeah, Yata-san, you've totally got a thing for her."

"Do not!"

"I've got to say, you barely left her side since we found her. Giving her funny looks too."

"We're _just_ friends, guys, goddam I thought we were leaving already. This dump is giving me a serious headache."

"Or maybe _heartache-_ "

Mikoto and Kusanagi had to drag Yata off of Chitose before they all got thrown out… which they were. Which is why they decided to head home earlier than usual.

He would never deny that she had been missed. Even his pride was no match to get in the way of that. They had been close, closer than anyone else he had ever met. He knew all her dark secrets and she knew his… at least that's how it was 2 years ago. They were a family, and even Fushimi had never known him as well, he had never even been comparable to her. Yata had missed hre for all this time. He couldn't help but wonder if she had even thought of him. When she left. While she was gone. If she constantly wondered if he was okay… if he was safe. If she had looked for him.

Because he had never stopped wondering and worrying about her. Searching everywhere for her. When one day… she just appeared as if she had never left. And he would make sure she never would again. He would never let them go through that again. The pain and heartbreak, the unbearable loneliness that must have consumed her just as it had him. He would _not_ lose her again. This time. This time he would keep her safe. Even if it killed him. This time he could protect her, because god knew she wouldn't bother to protect herself.

Which is why his stomach jumped into his throat and he practically sprinted in front of a speeding car when he saw that all the lights in bar HOMRA were off.

 _She hates the dark._

* * *

 _"Yata, hold on, wait for me."_

 _"What? Why? I have to go Akane, seriously. My mom got really mad the last time I was out this late."_

 _Normally she would have laughed at how concerned he was about his mother's scolding, or cracked an orphan joke in horribly poor taste. But instead she just looked at him, trying to muster up as much pride and courage as she could at 14 years old._

 _"Please...I'm afraid of the dark."_

* * *

He had waited with her for an extra hour that night, keeping her happy and preoccupied until she got to go home. They were just kids back then. Everything was so much simpler. His mom had chewed him out for ages after that stunt and he didn't even care. He knew it was for a good cause.

There was laughter behind him as Kusanagi grabbed him by the collar before he ran into traffic.

"Ha, told you he was crazy about her," Yata wanted to punch Chitose in the teeth again. But for now he angrily shrugged it off and stomped to the bar while biting his tongue.

He took a breath of relief once they were inside and he saw the light from under the bathroom door. Unfortunately, he ended up holding it again when she didn't show herself after a while.

 _Why is she hiding?_

* * *

 _"Akane, come out, you know I can't go in there!"_

 _"Uh duhhh Misaki, that's the point."_

 _"Are you hiding from me or something? What did I do?!"_

 _He yelled in childlike frustration outside of the middle school girl's bathroom._

 _"Nothing… I'll… come out." Black curls opened the door, and angry grey eyes peered at him through the small opening. "There was just another fight. I think… I think I hurt my wrist."_

 _"Well, come out all the way so I can see." It was red and a little swollen, but they agreed that it wasn't broken. "Wait here, I'll get some ice."_

 _"Wait, Yata!"_

 _"It's ok, I won't tell them what happened. Just wait here a sec."_

* * *

He could still remember her smile from that day. He could remember that look of relief when she realized she could trust him.

She only hid when she was hurt, otherwise he had never seen her avoid confrontation. In fact she usually encouraged it. She would do anything to keep from letting anyone, from complete strangers to her best friends, believe that she was weak. But what the hell could she possibly have been doing to have gotten injured?! They were all under the impression that she had gone straight home while they were out. Obviously, that hadn't been the case.

 _Lying again already._ It made him want to scream in frustration.

Yata remained generally distanced and unhappy while he waited for everyone to leave so he could drag her out of her hole. The rest of the guys just laughed, figuring that he was moping from their earlier teasing.

He ignored them.  
Mikoto was asleep, or at least appeared to be, even before everyone had left. Apparently he assumed that his room would be occupied by their guest again. It was strange though, how willing he was to just throw away his space like that.

Soon… it was actually quiet. Mikoto breathed steadily from his chair and Kusanagi put away the last sparkling glass of the day.

"Don't pay any mind to them, Yata-san. They're only happy you've found a friend again." He headed for the stairs to his room. "Get some sleep and don't stress it."

Yata nodded in response and the bar owner disappeared for the rest of the night.

 _And that's my cue._

He found his place in front of the door just as it began to open.

 _I knew she had been hiding._ He momentarily basked in the glory of being right about something.

"Why're you hiding, Akane?"

She jumped ever-so-slightly, and he knew he had been glaring because she immediately laughed. Not convincingly enough. Definitely with a nervous ring.

"Heyyy, Yata! Welcome back, did you have a good time? Can't wait to hear about it, you should probably get some sleep now thought you look tired, goodnight!"

She tried to close the door in his face, but his foot was faster, and he caught the door. An immediate expression of panic flooded her face as she just… looked at the door. He would have laughed if he hadn't been otherwise occupied.

"Soooo… I guess it's too late to just ask you to leave? Shouldn't you be sleeping at home or something anyway?"

He rolled his eyes at her, "I'm staying here for a while, stop avoiding the question. What happened? Lemme see."

"It's nothing… just a scratch."

"Then what's the big deal?! Lemme _see_."

"Are you sure you can handle it? I mean, I know you don't do so well with blood an-"

"Ok, now you're just spouting bullshit, open the door."

She paused to curse in some random language under her breath before admitting defeat. The door slowly swung open and Yata immediately went into panic mode.

"Akane… what the FUCK is this?!"

The right sleeve of the sweater she was wearing was covered in blood that leaked down and dripped from her fingers and onto the floor. It seeped through the fingers of her left hand, which was desperately trying to keep it in her body where it belonged. She would be lying if she said she wasn't feeling a little light-headed. Yata looked at the crimson liquid as if it was his own.

"DON'T YELL AT ME!" She pushed past him with a wince and began to stomp up the stairs. "Just help me find the goddam bandages." He followed her with a scowl. He knew something was up. People, even including her, didn't just casually come home bleeding out from gashes in their shoulders. It was a rough one even for her. As far as he knew, at least.

"You said you were just walking home, what did you do?!"

She turned around and pinned him down with her frosty eyes, "Why do you _always_ assume that these things are _my fault?!_ I was jumped, ok? I took care of it!"

He responded without hesitation, despite taking a step back from her now that she had taken a more aggressive stance. The girl was still terrifying and he wasn't _that_ stupid. "I knew you should've stayed here… do you have any idea what would've happened if you weren't able to fight back?" The more serious tone made her back off and divert her gaze, but the scowl and angry crease in her brow remained in place. When she spoke again it was no longer a yell, just a firm statement.

"I was."

"Akane-"

"Can we just get this patched up? I'm getting blood everywhere and I'm feeling even more disoriented than usual."

 _It's barely been 3 days and already I can't protect her._

He knew she would mistake this anger at himself for frustration with her, so he did what he could to hide it. He focused on worrying to the point of nausea instead. You know, healthy coping and all that lovely stuff.

He followed her into his king's room in silence and a mild dose of self loathing. Without even a pause they walked into the bathroom and Yata pulled out the bandages from under the sink for her- again. He sorted everything out and set it up for use as she slowly took off the hoodie, making a mental note to pay them back for it. She sat there on the toilet in a tank top she had changed into at the warehouse, since the t-shirt was completely demolished. Although this one wasn't looking much better at this point. She tried to get a look at the gash and hissed in pain and anticipation of the procedure to come.

"I hate to say it bud, but uh… I think it's gonna need stitches."

He held up the small spool of red string and a needle and smiled like he was about to be sick to his stomach. "Way ahead of you. Try not to cry like a little girl."

"Yeah yeah, ok, don't act like you. Got it."

"You know I'm the one who's about to stab you with a needle right?"

"And your point is?"

He rolled his eyes in good humor and chuckled under his breath, "Just hold still."

"Sir yessir."

He knew she was strong, one of the strongest people he knew after everything she had been through, but it still surprised him when she barely squirmed, barely bit her lip while he stitched her skin back together.

 _Crazy ass bitch._ He shook his head and smiled at her nonetheless.

He finally cut the string and tied it off with a small knot. While he was cleaning it again though before putting the bandage on, his eyes couldn't help but wander to her back, the top of which he could now see since the tank top had a lower cut. It both angered and saddened him to think of what she had endured. Of what she now had to live with.

Peeking over the edge of the shirt were jagged, light pinkish white parallel lines. Scars. Dozens of them. And he knew how far they reached and the agony that had gone into them.

* * *

 _"So why'd you skip out on P.E. again today, huh? I thought you said we were gonna play some basketball together but you never showed. Coach made me play with some random douchebags." They had gone to his house for a little while after school, which was normal for them. Akane flopped backwards on his bed with her arms spread out to either side, and he sat in a swivel chair across the room from her, mindlessly spinning around. Kids will be kids after all._

 _"I have my reasons."_

 _"Ok, yeah, but what are they."_

 _"They're just… reasons Misaki I dunno."_

 _"Hey," she looked over at him, bending her neck at an awkward angle. She unsuccessfully attempted to blow some hair out of her eye. "We're friends, right?"_

 _"What?! Of course we are, don't say stuff like that."_

 _"Well then you can trust me. That's what friends do. They tell each other stuff."_

 _She threw her head back again and gave an exasperated sigh. "Ok fine, I'll tell you. You're not gonna like it and it's gonna be awkward as hell though."_

 _He blinked a few times and second guessed his decision to get her to open up as he contemplated what her definition of awkward was. "It'll be fine, I can deal."_

 _She laughed, "The shake in your voice says otherwise." But as she sat up, the smile fell from her face and she refused to meet his gaze. "Some girls have been giving me a hard time in the locker room. That's all. I'm sick of dealing with it so I just stopped going in there entirely. I'm sorry for ditching you again."_

 _Surprisingly enough, he didn't fall off his chair and run screaming at the mention of the girl's locker room. Instead he looked pissed._ Super _pissed._

 _"You mean someone's bullying you?! Why though?! That doesn't make any sense! I swear when I find them-"_

 _"They'll look at you and you'll immediately apologize and come running for me to rip their hair out. Yeah I know the drill."_

 _"This is serious Akane, why are they being like that?"_

 _She laughed nervously, "See that's, uh… haha... that's where the awkward part comes in. I uh… think it's better if I just show you so bear with me and keep in mind that I'm not gonna fucking flash you."_

 _His face went bright red, "Woah_ what _are you talking about?!"_

 _"Just_ shut up _and be my friend for a second ok?" He shut his mouth instantly and watched in slight horror as she stood up and turned around. She pulled her arms through her sleeves and pulled her shirt and sweater just over her shoulders, giving him a full view of her back and_ just _her back. "This is what they were teasing me about."_

 _She couldn't see, but his eyes immediately went wide and even began to tear up a little. Long, uneven, thin scars ran all the way down her back. Some went the same direction, others crossed them to form large X's. Some were long and stretched the entire length of her spine, and others were short, spreading maybe only a couple of inches. Some were more red and looked angry, and others were like pale mountain ranges. But he knew one thing for sure… she didn't deserve a single one._

 _His fists clenched in anger and he glared at them. The rows and rows of immortalized pain. "I'm gonna kill those girls." Akane pulled her arms back through her shirt and sighed with slight sadness._

 _"Don't… it'll only make things worse Yata. They'll get bored with me after a while and it'll just go away."_

 _"It shouldn't have started in the first place." He was standing in front of her now and he lightly grabbed onto her shoulders, just enough to hold her still. She was shocked to see how much pain and anger was actually in his eyes. Is this what it was to have a friend? Do they really feel your pain and anguish? Is this what it was to have someone fighting on your side? "I don't want them to hurt you."_

 _She just smiled at him sadly. "Misaki… what could they do to me that hasn't been done already? My body's already broken, my mind is… well that's something all on it's own. What more could they possibly do?"_

 _He looked at her with something between anguish and fear. "Break your spirit."_

 _He watched as tears came to her eyes and she took a shaky breath. Then all the sudden she was hugging him._

* * *

It was the first time she really let him protect her. It was the first time he had seen her cry. And after that they were an inseperable, unstoppable force. They would be for nearly 5 years after.

"I'll talk to Tatara and Kusanagi to get you some new clothes. Can't have you walking around in bloodstains _all_ the time."

"Oh puh- _lease_ don't make me spite you."

"Akane. C'mon."

"Me c'mon?! I'm not letting you buy my clothes. I'm already stealing your beds and food and probably the mental stability of at least half the people here."

"Well you're stuck now so get over it. You're one of us."

She looked over at him as he put the first aid kit away. "It's a nice thought."

"Well now it's a nice reality."

"Yeah. Sure." She walked out of the bathroom and layed down on top of the blankets of the bed she was supposed to have been sleeping on.

Yata looked at her and sighed in slight frustration, setting a different sweater, this time a red zip-up hoodie, on the foot of the bed. It would take some time to get her to settle in with people and a new place again. Although now he was starting to doubt if she had even felt like she belonged in her life 2 years ago. He wouldn't give up though. He had lasted this long waiting for her to come around, and now he was able to make a difference. And he would.

He ran a hand through his hair, suddenly realizing how exhausted he was. Worrying took a lot out of him. "Goodnight Akane. See ya soon."

She looked over at him and smiled, "Yeah. See ya soon." And with that he crossed the hallway to get some much needed rest.

Three hours later and surprise surprise… no sleep. She groaned loudly in pure irritation and had to stop herself from mercilessly beating a helpless pillow.

 _Bad shoulder. Not my shit to break. Right._

Akane rolled her eyes at herself and was on her feet and sneaking downstairs in what felt like a single motion. Using cat-like stealth, she carefully stepped down the stairs without a sound and strolled right out the front door. Sitting on the front steps under a street light and leaning on the side handrail, she pulled out a slightly crushed box of cigarettes from one of the borrowed sweater's pockets, and a cheap hand lighter from the other.

"Piece of shit." After a few tries she had no success in getting the dumb thing to spark. She was just about to throw it across the street in a characteristic burst of anger when she heard the front door shut behind her. She looked behind her and lowered her arm, forgetting what she was about to do. "Did I wake you?"

Mikoto Suoh shook his head in response and took a seat next to her. This gave the girl a new sense of security. She really hadn't wanted to sit out on the street alone. It was a lot darker than she had thought.

"Well in that case, mind helping a girl out?" She held out the cigarette expectantly with an open, lighthearted smile.

"Those things'll kill you, you know."

Her smile turned sad for a moment. "I had a friend who told me that a lot. He worried too much really."

"And what did you tell him?"

"The same thing I'll tell you. They'll only kill you if you've got something to live for."

He grunted his equivalent of a laugh at her dark humor and pulled out a butt of his own, using a small flame to light them both.

"Did this friend happen to be Hiro?" She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye but he was only looking out at the dark street indifferently.

"Yeah. It was."

"Who was he?"

"Not gonna lie, I didn't really expect you to pay attention or care about my past. You don't seem like the most social butterfly in the building.

Mikoto shrugged. "It's not everyday someone interesting comes along."

She laughed, which made him smile just a little. "You have a weird definition of interesting. If you really wanna know I guess I'll tell you though." She took a big breath, held it for a moment, and released it to clear her thoughts. She hadn't spoken to anyone about Hiro before. She didn't even know if she could. But as long as he wasn't infiltrating her head she may as well find out. "Hiro was one of our friends in High School. A part of our little band of misfits. Everyone loved him. To be honest, Tatara reminds me of him a bit. He was a little rougher around the edges though. Not quite as open I guess. But… He had the same sort of light. The same hope kind of. We actually dated for quite a while, a little over a year until…" She trailed off and her eyes lost a little focus and filled with sadness. Mourning.

Mikoto finally turned to look at her when she suddenly fell silent and tilted his head a little to get a better look at her face. "Until?"

She paused for a moment longer, not turning towards him, and instead directing her attention towards her shoes. "Hiro killed himself a couple years ago. I… was the one who found him."

* * *

 _The red was everywhere. It stained the walls and coated her hands. It flowed over the bathroom floor and leaked into the carpet of the next room. The blood flowed everywhere._

 _And yet he was more pale than she had ever seen. His eyes were clouded and the hand she desperately held was freezing cold._

 _His head was unbearably heavy as she held it in her lap and screamed for help. For anyone to do anything. Just to save her from being impossibly alone._

* * *

He shut his eyes and took a drag from his cigarette, and she watched the embers glow momentarily.

"That must've been hard for you."

"It was hard on all of us. Eventually something happened and I… I just couldn't take it anymore. I left without saying goodbye."

* * *

 _Everyone froze and fell silent as they stared in horror at the image on the projector. The teacher desperately tried to shut it off, but the tech was new. He didn't have a firm enough grasp of it, and it was hacked. It was doubtful he would have been able to do anything anyway._

 _"W-what is this?!" A frantic, high pitched girl's voice called out somewhere to the left of Akane. She barely heard, just looking to the front of the class in pure terror as her every nightmare played out before her._

 _A muffled and cleverly disguised voice came over the loudspeaker. The one that could be found in every classroom. And she knew that everyone was listening in._

 _"Good afternoon everybody, we interrupt today's class with an important announcement, brought to you straight from the classified files of the Shizume Police Department."_

 _"Turn it off." The words barely left Akane as tears came to her eyes and she read the letter that had been projected onto the screen, the paper that was speckled with bloodstains._

 _"Here we have the final words and testament of your own Hiro Kobayashi."_

 _"TURN IT OFF!" This time they were a scream._

* * *

She put out her own light on the cement next to her and hugged her knees to her chest. "It was my fault. Yata still blames and hates me for it, I know it. And he should. It was awful and I just left him alone to deal with it. I barely even gave him the chance to get mad at me."

"Did he say that to you?"

"What?"

"That he blames you. Did he say it?"

"Well...no. But he does."

"I wouldn't put money on that if I were you."

"How come?"

"He's happy you're here."

He took note of a nervous tick she seemed to have, tugging at her sleeves and stretching them over her wrists. She began to shiver slightly in the cool outside air. Rubbing her arms, she stood up to go back inside.

"He missed you."

She smiled down at Mikoto sadly before going back into the bar. "I missed him too."

* * *

 **A/N: Hey guys so it's been a while? Sorryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy**

 **I hope this chapter cleared up a bit of the mystery this far I personally think it was one of my favorites. Also I'd like to apologize if some of it was a bit too dark for you, in case some of it hit you pretty harshly, but honestly that will be coming up a lot in this story... Akane did _not_ have a happy past _._ And it's really gonna start showing now, if it hadn't already.**

 **And one more thing! MY SELF MOTIVATION SUCKS so** _please_ **bother me about updating. About working on this stuff. Because honestly it's not that hard for me to write, it's just nearly impossible to get started and yeahhhh. Also I love hearing from you guys in general. It would be amazing to know if you've found inaccuracies or have suggestions or just in general what you think. I've put my heart and soul into developing these characters and the unfolding plot so anything you have to say means the world to me.**

 **And check out my tumblr! I post little sneak peaks and funny tidbits on there every now and then and I feel like that's an easier way to communicate with you guys. My username or whatever it's called is still tomorrowfortoday so it should be easy to find. You'll know it when you find it.**

 **Love you all, see ya soon hopefully and HAPPY 2019 :D**

 **-TFT 3**


	13. Chapter 13: A Faded Image

13

 _"Akane, you home?" He knocked on the door, standing in the alien campus with a skateboard under his arm. The air was still. Dry. Quiet._

 _Haunting._

 _There was no answer._

 _"Hane, you know I have a key, I'll just let myself in if you won't answer. I've been trying to get a hold of you since yesterday." Still no response. He sighed in annoyance. Silence wasn't normally her style. A nervous feeling slowly crawled into his gut as he clumsily pulled a key out of his pocket._

 _The door opened and… there was no one. Nothing. "Something isn't right here." He hadn't heard from anyone all day, not even Aiko, who was constantly blowing up their group chat to the point where most of them had even silenced it._

 _The boy wandered through the small apartment, searching for any sign of life. He found none._

 _But he felt his skin turn cold and his heart jump into his throat when he opened her closet, which was a place he often found her when she was having a bit of a freak out. Instead of his friend, he found only her school uniform, crumpled and left in a pile on the floor._

 _And soaked in blood that stained and pooled in the carpet around it._

 _"AKANE?!" He ran out the door as fast as he could and desperately began searching the school's campus for his dearest friend. His only real friend. His family. He screamed her name through the school. But no one came out to help. There was only the quiet._

 _"Who's yelling out there?! Show some damn respect, kid. Wait… you don't even go to this school, what are you doing here?!" Yata didn't even have the nerve to deny it or run. He approached the security guard and practically got on his hands and knees to beg._

 _"Please, my friend goes here and I can't find her anywhere and there was blood in her closet and I really need to find her please could you jus-"_

 _"Woah woah woah kid, take a breath. Calm down. I… think I know who you're talking about. I wouldn't normally let you keep roaming around here but I'll make an exception. It's… a special case."_

 _"What? Special case? Did something happen to her?!"_

 _"Come on kid." As they wandered further into the city of a school, Misaki began to see something strange. Not security guards, but cops. Actual police officers going door to door and questioning a student every here and there. Taking down notes. And everyone was solemn. Some had tears staining their faces._

 _It was a living nightmare. He just had no way to prove that he was actually awake. He had to wish that he wasn't._

 _The guard walked him all the way to the main administration building. Up stairs. Down corridors. And finally through a door. The principal's office. Before they passed through, Yata could just barely hear a man's voice, could barely make out his words, however muffled._

 _"Please, it will make everything easier if you could just tell us what happened." Silence. They stepped through the doorway, and the principal's startled eyes met Yata's own. His escort spoke up._

 _"I'm sorry for the intrusion, sir, but he's a friend of the girl. He was looking for her. He… doesn't know yet." The boy's eyes snapped to a still, silent figure, slouched over in the chair. Face hidden by black curls._

 _"Akane!" Yata ran forward and hugged her without hesitation._

 _"Young man! I don't know what exactly you're doing here, but this is an investigation! You cannot, under any circumstances be here right now. You may speak to Ms. Himura once we are finished here."_

 _"Investigating? Investigating what? Akane, what happened, what was with your clothes back at your place?! There was so much blood..."_

 _She didn't hug him back. She only sat there like a statue. Stone cold and lifeless. The only sign of life he got from her were tears that fell from her face onto her lap._

 _"Hane?" He was quiet now. Terrified. "What's wrong?" And for a moment they were just a couple of scared children, no one else existed. And Yata felt the world begin to collapse as she finally spoke._

 _"Hiro. He's…" She choked on a sob and began to shake in his arms as his eyes widened. He wouldn't believe it. He refused to get caught up in a ridiculous, panic born lie before hearing it from her lips._

 _"He's what, Akane? Where is he?!" He should have been there consoling her. Hiro should be there. He was always there for her. He loved her. Where was he when she needed him?! Anger began to boil in Misaki's blood. Akane deserved better than this, she deserved the support that her so-called boyfriend was supposed to be giving her. Even right now as he was trying to calm her down himself._

 _"He's dead." The words were barely audible, yet they sounded like screams in Yata's ears. Dead._

 _What? No._

 _People didn't die. Not really. They were kids. Kids didn't die. Right? Right?_

 _And an even more horrifying sound began to ring through the room, even the principal froze, silent, to look at them in shock. The boy's laughter was the only thing to be heard._

 _He shook with it, letting Akane go from his arms and holding nothing back as he guffawed._

 _"Yeah, right, he's haha… he's dead" He used air quotes for the offending word as his friend's red, heartbroken eyes looked at him in sheer agony. "Good one." He started to catch his breath and the laughter subsided to a mild chuckle. "You didn't actually think I'd buy that, did you? I mean good job getting all these people to play the part, you gave me a real scare there you crazy bitch, but really? That's the best you could-"_

 _The smack of the girl's fist meeting his face silenced his rambling and was followed by a thud as he hit the floor. The principal rose to his feet in a flash to stop anything that may follow, and the security guard just looked at them in astonishment._

 _"Shut… up, you idiot." She choked out the words between sobs. "Don't you dare laugh." He rubbed his cheek in pain and looked up at her, trying to wrap his simple mind around the situation. Her hair covered her eyes and her shirt was soaked with sorrow, her voice was laced with fury. "He bled out in my arms, Yata." She collapsed to her knees and all he could do was watch and try to quench the slowly rising agony in his chest. "He… left me…" Her crying became heavier again. "He left me all alone."_  
 _Tears finally came to Yata's eyes. This wasn't a joke. This wasn't some elaborate prank. Their friend, one of his closest, was gone. And there was no bringing him back._

 _"But… he… can't…" He stared with wide eyes but didn't see a thing. The security guard that had brought him gently but firmly grabbed his arm and began to carefully try to drag him out of the room._

 _"I shouldn't have brought you in here, sorry kid. C'mon, we're gonna wait outside and- hey!" The boy broke free from the grip. He didn't know what was happening. He didn't know what it meant. He just knew that something terrible had happened, something that never should have. And he knew that in times like this, the only place he should be was by her side. They'd have to kill him to tear him away from her now._

 _The two teenagers looked like small, fragile children as they held onto each other and cried for the unspeakable horror that had taken place._

* * *

She had disappeared only a couple of months later. He never found out why or what happened to her. One day she was just gone. He didn't even know if she was alive, or if she had taken her own life too. Aiko never spoke to him again after the tragedy, and their whole group of friends shattered. Akane was the heart and soul of them, the only thing keeping them together. So once she was gone, once they were faced with such overwhelming hardship, they all fell apart before they even realized it was happening.

They went to school. Stayed home. Kept their heads down and their hearts sealed away from the world. Fushimi transferred into Yata's school a few months after that and they continued on as friends, pretending nothing had ever happened. But they both knew.

Nothing would be the same again.

Nothing's the same when one of your closest friends kills himself. And when the other disappears without a trace.

Yata spent years looking for her. That day, when they had met the King of Homra in the streets, he had been looking for her. He searched every alley and spoke to shopkeepers everywhere for any kind of sign from her. He joined Homra so that he might stand a better chance, and they gave him the ability to heal. They gave him a home. A family. The ability to search with strength and courage and pride instead of sorrow. But he never stopped looking.

He never forgot her, even if he didn't talk about her. None of the guys even knew she had existed, that Yata had ever had a friend like her. He didn't need that kind of reputation around them, the lost puppy. The dumb kid who spends his time daydreaming about people he'd never see again and futures that would never happen.

She was his mission, not theirs. She was his family, his problem, his responsibility. Not theirs. It was his pain.

So imagine his surprise when one day, years of tireless searching and hoping later, she comes hurtling down the sidewalk at him and saves the lives of Rikio and Tatara within a matter of seconds. She ends up unconscious in a hospital for several days without knowing it was him. He had hardly believed it himself.

But as he sat by her hospital bed day after day, hour after hour, constantly checking up on her, he realized she was actually there. That he now had the ability to keep her from disappearing again. When he was sitting with her he had wanted to be angry. He desperately tried to be furious with her. But it wouldn't take. He just ended up smiling and laughing, telling stories of his recent adventures under the Red King while she slept, the beeping of the heart monitor keeping time. He couldn't be mad at her if his life depended on it.

Those couple of days after she had found him were the happiest he'd had since she left.

But then she kept trying to leave again. She ran from the hospital and nearly got killed. _Again_. She kept trying to argue her way out of their home, and he had to argue her into it.

And even faster than he had hoped, she fit right in. Although there was the rough patch in the beginning, they worked past it and it was like she had been a member of Homra all along. Even his King seemed to genuinely like her rather than mildly tolerate her.

She was still hiding things, he wasn't an idiot. But she would also be willing to take her secrets to the grave if she truly wanted to. There would never be any forcing anything out of her. He just had to wait for her to trust him again, and hope that she would at all.

Hope.

He liked the sound of that.

* * *

"Akane-sannnn you awake in there?!" The cheerful voice of Tatara Totsuka and a gentle tapping at the door greeted her with the young day's sunlight. Slowly blinking her eyes open, Akane smiled at the ridiculousness of her new friend.

"Yeah, you can come on in Tatara." She sat up and stretched, rubbing her newly awakened eyes. As he entered she looked around and blinked in confusion.

 _Wasn't I sleeping on the couch downstairs?"_

But sure enough, she was in her previously reserved bed. Their King's bed. For some reason, the thought made her face suddenly feel like it was on fire and she scrambled out of the blankets and almost fell on Tatara.

"Woah be careful, you ok?"

"Um yeah, I'm all good." He gave her an odd look but then gave her his usual bright smile.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, actually, I-"

"Good, we've got a long day ahead of us!"

 _Wait… What?_

"Huh? Why do you say that?"

"Hurry and get ready, Kusanagi's waiting for you."

"Wait, Tatara, what the-"

And he closed the door in her face. Again.

"Not much of a listener, that one," she grumbled to herself.

After somehow managing to change the bandage on her shoulder with one hand and wrestling a bit with her hair before giving in to the messy look, she noticed something on the back of a chair in the bedroom. A black hoodie, obviously a guy's, with white strings coming from the hood. About her size.

 _Yata's._

She smiled and had to fight back tears. He was always looking out for her, especially when she didn't look out for herself.

She pulled it on and tugged the sleeves down.

Tatara hadn't lied. Sure enough, at the bottom of the stairs was Kusanagi with his arms crossed, patiently waiting.

"There you are, you ready to go?"

"Uh...maybe. Go where?"

"Tatara didn't tell you?"

The mentioned man chimed in, "Before he left, Yata said that if I told you then you would try to jump out the window and leave." He smiled. Akane had an internal panic attack. "We're going shopping to get you some new clothes."

They had to somehow tackle her _without_ hurting her before she could run back up the stairs. And out the window.

* * *

"Isn't this basically kidnapping?" She scowled at them from the backseat of the car. They avoided the rearview mirror as much as possible.

"You can leave if you want," the bartender, who was currently driving, responded calmly.

She looked out the door at the quickly moving street. Then shrugged and started to reach for the door handle, "Ok, fine." The locks clicked.

"He didn't mean it." He gave Kusanagi a _very_ pointed look. "You didn't mean it. And I think eventually you might even have fun, Akane."

"Doubtful."

Kusanagi sighed, "This is gonna be a long day."

Getting them to their destination was like herding cats. The younger members of their strange trio had the attention spans of goldfish playing soccer, and were _constantly_ bouncing from one window to the next. It was a feat of the gods that Kusanagi didn't start setting things on fire just so they'd run out of things to look at. Actually… Akane probably would've preferred that. But even though they were infuriating, it was good to see how well they got along despite the bar owner not being sure of what to think of their new guest.

He just didn't quite trust her yet. Rather, he didn't trust her demons.

* * *

" _Just make sure she doesn't punch anyone or something."_

" _Why don't you go yourself, Yata?"_

" _I've got other things to do." The boy grabbed his skateboard like he was going to leave. Kusanagi huffed and went into the back of the bar, leaving him with Tatara._

" _Tatara, could you do me a favor?"_

 _The man perked up, happy as ever to help._

" _Would you mind not telling her where you're going until she's away from the window?"_

" _Um… sure, why?" His expression became slightly worried._

" _She'll probably try to jump out of it." The door shut behind him and Kusanagi cursed at himself._

* * *

Yata trusted her though, even with her illness,so she at least deserved a chance.

"Finally!" Kusanagi basically dragged them like children into the department store that had come into view.

"Ow, ow! Dude what the fuck, I'm going!" Akane finally wrenched herself out of his grip and stomped the rest of her way into the store. He felt a little bad… and then didn't. That's what she got for being a pain.

She stood just inside the entrance, rubbing her shoulder and grimacing at the rows and rows of clothing around them. Tatara immediately looked overjoyed and began inspecting racks for her without hesitation. She gave a surprised blink in his direction, grimace disappearing.

"Well that was easy. I thought I was gonna have to bribe him to do that."

"You're not gonna help him out?"

She laughed, "Are you kidding? Look, he's having the time of his fucking life,  
I can't take that from him. Plus, this isn't exactly my scene in case you hadn't picked up on that yet." Kusanagi chuckled in reluctant agreement.

They began a casual, quiet stroll after him and her supervisor took a moment to do a quick analysis of her.

She confused him.

Being the same age as Yata, she must've been nearly 20 years old now, but the way she carried herself added decades to this. Every action was careful and cautious, guarded but agressive at the same time, obsessively surrounded by self preservation. Delicate but firm. It was obvious that she could take care of herself. But then again, when she started to relax, as she had been only moments ago, all her walls would drop without hardly any transition. A split second and she was behaving like a carefree child. He couldn't tell if this was a component of the schizophrenia or just her personality, clinging to the last lines of childhood she thought she had left.

Still, the way she looked at the world. The cold, calculating, trustless gaze had something else. A spark but also a darkness. She had suffered, she had probably seen and experienced things that no one ever should. And probably done and caused them too.

"Yata said you'd been missing for over 2 years."

She sighed. She knew a conversation like this was waiting for her. "It was a really long time."

"He thought you were dead."

She smiled sadly at him and ran her fingers along the blouses surrounding them, "So did I."

"What were you up to then, since you were, you know… _alive_?"

"Is this an interview or something?"

"Eh, it might be." He shrugged. She gave in. Partially. Some secrets still had to be secret.

"I wandered around. Got into shit, got out of it. Met people, lost some, worked with others. Did what I could and what I had to to survive."

"But not what was strictly legal, I'm guessing."

"Eh, like you said, everyone already thought I was dead, I didn't really have a need for laws." She laughed again, obviously at an old memory. "I was a damn good pickpocket though. I could've stolen a guy's shirt off his back and he never would've known."

"I'll have to be very careful about locking up from now on then."

"Hey, c'mon, I'm not gonna rob you guys after everything you've done- everything you're _doing_ for me."

"Speaking if which…" He veered the subject of the conversation in a different direction, "You mentioned a debt to us, but aside from Yata none of us have ever met you."

"You think it's a delusion." Her tone wasn't accusatory of defensive, only matter-of-fact. It came with the condition, and honestly sometimes she wasn't so sure herself.

"I won't deny that I've had a suspicion."

She nodded in understanding.

"Well this time I can assure you it isn't. Otherwise I'd be dead." She looked around as if somebody would be trying to listen in, but continued on at a leisurely pace. "About ten years I came here with my family on vacation. My dad is from this area and there was a family home we would stay in for 2 weeks during the summer. It's not far from HOMRA, actually." She sighed and her entire demeanor became colder and more guarded. Sadder. Heartbroken. "There was a fire in the middle of the night while my father was out drinking with some friends. My mother didn't catch it soon enough… and by the time the smoke woke her up it was too late. Everything was on fire and soon the ceiling collapsed." She paused. "The next thing I remember was a stranger carrying me out and yelling at the paramedics to take care of me. I didn't see his face but he had your tattoo on his neck. I found out later that he had run back in to find everyone else… but it was too late. A beam had collapsed on my mother, she died a few hours later in the hospital. And my baby sister suffocated on the smoke." She took a shaky breath but otherwise she seemed rather emotionless when speaking of the topic. 10 years leaves room for coping. And for suffering. "I don't know who he was, but I'll always owe you guys for saving me. For going back and trying to save my family and to stop the fire from spreading. And for giving me the chance to repent and all that."

Kusanagi stopped at this, "...Repent?"

"Yeah. Repent. I was the one who set the fire."

"Akane, I can't really carry anything else, so try this on!" She shrieked in surprise as a giant pile of clothes interrupted them, dumped on her by a smaller man who really shouldn't have been able to carry that much.

"Tatara, there isn't enough time in the world for me to try all this shit on!" She dropped the mountain in a nearby shopping cart and picked something out of it. "The fuck is this?" The offending article, a bright pink t-shirt, hung from her hand like a dead sloth.

"It's a t-shirt. I thought the color would bring out your eyes." He looked so happy, a light in his eyes. A little kid in a candy shop.

The shirt smacked into his face without a moment's hesitation. "No."

"But-" Another pink shirt with flowers and a ribbon decorating it landed on his face in the same fashion.

"No." He opened his mouth to attempt a protest one more time, "Tatara I could do this all day please just don't." Her expression was generally blank, tainted with exasperation and maybe a bit of humor, completely void of any indication of the prior conversation. "Ok!" She clapped her hands together and assessed the situation before her. "Time for an approval check, since apparently that's _necessary_." She shot her friend a pointed look and began to sort around in the basket. Occasionally something froofy or sporting some hideous color… like _yellow_ … would fly over her head and land in Tatara's general vicinity, who would then happily scramble and return it to its designated rack in the store.

Kusanagi watched in endless amusement.

"Done!" Akane stood proudly by her haul, which was now about half the size. Tatara really had the pink thing going through his head. The pile was now mainly composed of greys, blacks, and reds, with exception to a few graphic t-shirts or moderately colorful leggings. "Mkay this seems a little more manageable. Now just gimme a sec…" She peered in before picking out a single red shirt and turning to walk off. "Alright, this is the one I want, let's go!"

She realized no one was following her after a few paces, and turned to see them staring after her in confusion.

"Where are you going?" Tatara chased after her and easily took the shirt from her grasp. "Come on, you've got to at least _try_ this stuff on."

"You can do that?" Akane's look of near astonishment made the two laugh nervously. "I thought that was just a fancy store thing, and then they make you buy it and stuff."

Tatara gently took her hand and began walking them in a different direction, "Come on, I'll help you find the changing rooms and pick stuff out."

"Oh… ok. Sorry, I've never really bought anything for myself I guess besides a sweater this one time."

He just smiled warmly at her. No judgement. No disgust. Only warmth. "I guess I'll just have to show you the ropes then."

* * *

" _I don't know about this Misaki, I've never tried this before."_

" _You'll be fine, I'm right here to show you the ropes."_

" _Yeah that would be cool if there_ were _any! If I fall it's totally your fault." The girl stood apprehensively with one foot on the skateboard, and another on the ground that she was so familiar with. There was slight fear in her eyes, but determination at the same time._

" _You won't fall, it's really not as hard as it looks. And if you do I'll catch you, kay?"_

 _She exhaled harshly and bit her cheek as she made up her mind. "My uncle's gonna kill me if he finds out about this." And she lightly pushed off with the other foot._

 _And instantly almost fell with a shriek. Yata grabbed her arm and kept her up as she slowly inched down the sidewalk, standing awkwardly on the small piece of wood. She instantly burst into laughter. "Why didn't you make me try this sooner?!"_

 _Her laughter was contagious, "Ha, just wait till you actually know what you're doing! That's when things get fun."_

" _Wait, I think I got it…" He slowly let go of her arm and let her coast on her own for a little bit while she cackled like a maniac. He jumped a bit reflexively whenever she wobbled, but soon she was even pushing herself one small bit at a time. By the end of the day she had almost made a turn by herself and was going at a brusque walking pace. "If I keep practicing like this I'll be even better than you one day, Yata!"_

 _He laughed lightly, "I'd like to see you try."_

 _She smirked determinedly, "You'll see. I'll be able to go so fast that no one will ever catch me."_

 _For some reason he became a little sad when she said that. But that didn't make sense. They were just kids, after all. Just ordinary kids._

* * *

 **A/N: Ha psYCH I'm still not dead! I went through a bit of an emotional rough patch and I've been travelling to visit colleges a lot lately so up until the last few days I hadn't really been feeling up to working on this. So that's why everything has been so delayed. Sorry to leave you all hanging, but not sorry for feeling like crap because that WaSn'T mY fAuLt. On another note, I'm actually pretty pleased with this chapter. I feel like it's covered quite a few key bases and cleared up some of the confusion of her past. I know, it's kind of dark, but trust me this isn't the half of it }:) That's just the kind of mess you're all stuck in now mwahahahaha**

 **But overall, I'm doing a lot better now, I've got all kinds of new ideas for key points and where this is headed, and I don't generally wanna die! Yayyy me! :D I'm thinking this'll start to overlap with the actual anime in the next 2-3 maybe 4 chapters. There's one key thing that I really want to happen first so it just depends on how long it takes for me to get that to fit in to everything smoothly enough. Quality over... reasonable timing?**

 **Just a little bit of MikotoXAkane... Mikane? Akoto? idfk y'all lemme know what you think it should be... in this one, but I hope it was enough for now ;P**

 **Mkayyyy baiiiii comment what ship name you wanntttt love y'all and see you sooner than before :')**

 **-TFT version 2.0**


	14. Chapter 14: A New Chord

14

A couple of weeks passed. One of the guest rooms was finally cleaned out and made suitable for a more permanent guest and Akane moved in with only mild protest. It was in her nature not to accept a home base. Or a home for that matter. But regardless, she had to admit that this had been her favorite so far. And she had been in a _lot_ of places over the years. Usually it was the people who made her leave, or made her want to. This time, though, this time she had met people who she knew she would protect with her life if it came down to it. Again.

Unfortunately, she still had to keep secrets from them. From Yata, whom she was finally mostly in sync with again. She had snuck out twice for her now weekly ritual, minus the back alley drug dealer. She was trying to save up to repay Homra for what they had done for her, and so that she could stock up on antipsychotics. That way she wouldn't have to fight as often. She wouldn't have to lie as often. She didn't have to break as many bones and face as many idiots out for retribution. Since the shoulder incident, the girl luckily wasn't forced to hide any more mysterious injuries aside from some scrapes and bruises. She was learning to be a bit more careful now that her physical appearance and well-being mattered. At least for convenience's sake.

She had another mission too, though. Recon, hunting people down to find what was stolen from her. The last time she really had almost gotten it back from those arms dealing scumbags. She got a little shot up instead though. That sucked. This time though, she would be ready. They would never even see her coming.

That is, if things went according to plan for once.

Her little midnight field trips were fewer and farther between lately. Mikoto had noticed her leaving and she had noticed his noticing. And he probably noticed that she noticed he… whatever. You get it. They were playing silent, standoffish, inception mind games. She just had to figure out how to get 10% smarter than him.

Something she was 100% struggling with.

The smell of breakfast woke her up from an actually not completely horrific dream for once, which was another thing she had noticed. Being around these people, she felt protected. Almost safe, almost actually comfortable. And her health had definitely become evident of this. She was no longer just skin and bones, and her face held a little more color, her hair shone from regularly being washed. The bags under her eyes gradually disappeared and the light in her eye, only a tiny spark before, now burned like a wildfire. And it was spreading to everyone around her.

She got out of bed, put her feet on the floor and just sat there for a moment. Taking it in. Taking in the simple satisfaction she felt with her life while staying here. It was almost perfect. Almost.

She walked to the mirror on the dresser that she had been using as of late, now that she had a collection of items to store in it after a whopping 6 shopping trips that Tatara had literally dragged her on. The kid was a lot stronger than he looked. Looking at her reflection, she tied her hair into a low, side ponytail in a desperate attempt to tame it. She barely even noticed the flaws that had constantly stuck out to her before. The things she had always feared others would notice. The things the voices would always tell her.

 _My nose is too big._

 _My eyebrows are too thin._

 _What if they notice my scars._

 _They know. They know I'm broken. They can see it. They know how ugly I am._

 _They can see the cracks in my skin._

 _They know I'm weak._

Akane gave an affirmed nod, finally able to ignore the voices even if they were still there. Whispering. She wouldn't let them hold her back any longer. She could do this. It was time for her to officially play her part. To pitch in instead of being a lazy couch potato who was just waiting to get in their way. She could prove she was worth something.

"Woah, you've got a _what?!_ " Yata looked at her with wide eyes from across the table.

"A job interview dickwad, you don't have to act so surprised."

"Oh it wasn't an act." She threw a piece of bacon at his head, but he dodged it and it splatted to the floor.

"I hope you're planning on cleaning that up!" Kusanagi called from behind the scenes.

 _How could he possibly have heard that?!_

 _Witchcraft. I swear he's secretly a voodoo witch doctor. That's the source of their powers. Goats blood and demon summoning circles, I've cracked the case for sure this time._

Her and Yata looked at the wall he was working behind in mild terror. "Y-yep, you got it boss!" In some of her spare time, as she had relentlessly insisted on doing, Akane had been trying to help around the bar. While he didn't trust her with customer service and she was too young to work the bar itself, she found odds and ends to get done while he wasn't looking. He usually shooed her away to be kidnapped by Tatara's schemes if he caught her trying to be useful by washing dishes or sweeping. The one thing that she was for sure too terrified of doing was wiping down the bar. Nope. If she did that and messed up even a little she knew she was dead meat. Best to just avoid it altogether.

Akane hopped down from the barstool that she was sitting on at the table and cleaned up the result of the mild feud.

"So yeah, I've got an interview and I was wondering if you would go with me."

He turned to look at her, "Go with you? Why? Isn't it just sitting in some room and answering boring questions?"

"Uh… not quite so much this time. They have an opening at the Flintlock and I was thinking I'd go for it." This time he jumped up in excitement.

"For real?! You're gonna get back in the game?!"

She laughed and shoved him playfully, "No, I'm gonna get a fucking job, Yata. Do something with myself for a change." The Flintlock Candle, one of the gang's favorite hangout destinations when they had the urge to leave bar Homra, was unique during the daylight hours. While at dark it served more as a night club, with blaring music, blinding lights, and hundreds of people swarming the place and dancing, when the sun came up it was a whole different story. Chairs and tables were put back out and curtains were raised from a stage. While it had many waitresses and waiters, some of them participated in a unique, secondary aspect of the job. Most were composed of musicians and singers who, intermittently, would take their place on the stage and give their diners a song or two. While it might delay the delivery of a meal by a few minutes, the tables were always full of smiling faces and no one seemed to mind all that much. It was basically a dream come true for someone like Akane.

There was just one problem… she had to audition as well as put up with the typical interview to make sure she was competent enough to wait tables.

"I haven't done anything in front of an audience in over a year though. I'm kinda freaking out a little for some reason."

"You mean you've finally got some common sense and stage fright knocked into you?"

"Psh, it's not stage fright. I'm just… a little anxious."

"Stage fright, performance anxiety, same difference."

"What does that even mean?!"

"What?"

"Ugh, never mind. Are you coming with me or not?"

He pretended to be nonchalant about it, "Eh, I guess."

"Can I come?! I've never heard you sing, Akane, and I want to be sure I'm there to cheer you on!"

She laughed, "Ok, Tatara, you can come. Just try not to embarrass me."

"King should come too!" He turned to the redhead sitting at the bar, "How about it, King?" Without turning, the man shrugged and Tatara smiled with pure delight.

"You don't have to, don't let him drag you into this nonsense," Akane called over to him. He just waved her off. She couldn't fight off the small smile that now made a home on her lips. She looked at the last two people in the room, "Ah, what the hell, Rikio, Kusanagi, do you guys wanna come to?"

"R-really? Sure! I bet they have free snacks out for the audience during auditions too," she rolled her eyes at Kamamoto.

"Boss?" It was her new official nickname for the bar owner.

He smiled but gently shook his head, "Sorry, I've got some work to do here, I'll catch your show some other time." While he couldn't come, at least she knew he had confidence that she would get it. She smiled back and nodded in acceptance.

When they finally began the walk to the Flintlock Candle a couple hours later, Akane thought back to when she tried street performing to hold her own for a while. She had tried desperately time and time again to find a better source of income for her meds. But it never took. Scraps here and there didn't add up to nearly enough for what the old man demanded of her. She hated to admit it but fighting was all she had so long as she wanted to stay off the grid. Well… it wasn't _all_ she had. But it was definitely better than some of her other options.

* * *

 _If I can do this, I might never have to hurt anyone again._

" _Don't be a drama queen, Hyou. I don't pay you to bitch and moan about what you do best."_

" _It's not my fault that I'm fucking good at this shit, I'm fucking sick of it!"_

" _So, what? You're just gonna leave? No more jobs? No more thrill of the hunt? No more_ me _?"_

" _Only if I'm lucky." She snarled the words and saw the slap coming from a mile away. The girl caught it with ease barely an inch from her face. The man looked down on her with a sneer. She was sick of being looked down on and blindly following orders. After the last shit he tricked her into pulling she was done. Done with all of this. If he cared about her he wouldn't have done that. He wouldn't have done any of this. She shouldn't have let him._

It's all my fault. It's only natural that I take responsibility for the fact that I've let this continue for fucking months.

" _I'm not one of your goddamn whores, Michael. I'm not your pet. I'm leaving and if you try to stop me I'll show you what I did to your fucking_ clients _." The last word came out as a deadly hiss._

" _You'll never last without me, Hyoushu." He was desperately trying to claw at something to yell back at her. To get her to stay out of her own self pity and worthlessness._

 _She tied the black bandana over the lower half of her face and turned back to give him a frozen cold, piercing glare one last time. "I've lasted my whole life without you."_

* * *

"There it is!" She snapped out of her daze with a start and looked at what Yata was pointing towards. "You ready?"

She snorted a laugh. "No."

"You sure you wanna do this today? You're looking a little grey you don't normally get like this."

She waved him off. "If I wait then someone else will snag it before I even get the chance."

"Psh, whatever, we could just kick them out if we felt like it. No one would dare mess with Homra."

She laughed, "That doesn't give Homra permission to mess with _them_." He looked at her for a second, then turned away and huffed like a child that had just been scolded.

"Don't let your pride get on top of you, Yata." He looked towards his King and nodded.

"Right, sorry Mr. Mikoto."

They came before the unassuming entrance. Just a basic, run of the mill store front with a light up sign above the entrance. The Flintlock Candle, in burning gold. They were here. Akane stopped and turned around to face her strange entourage before going in and directed her attention to the King.

"You can't smoke in here." Everyone instantly stiffened. They all knew how he felt about rules. She just looked him dead in the eye without a care in the world. Well. She looked like she didn't have a care in the world. Her real thought process was somewhere along the lines of

 _Ohmygodohmygodohmygod don't kill me please wait… hold on… did I ever brush my hair? Am I still in pajamas?_ _Ugh I guess I should've thought of that beforehand wait. No stop what's happening? Focus focus, borderline threatening a King that's right. Stupid crazy ass brain my face had better be playing it cool._

Luckily for her, it was.

"Eh?" He raised an eyebrow at her, cigarette hanging nonchalantly from his mouth.

"You heard me. Put it out or wait outside." Tatara opened his mouth to try to intervene somehow but closed it when he decided it probably wouldn't get them anywhere.

"Why?"

"Because I need this job, so if you're too high and mighty to spit it out yourself I'll personally take care of it, your highness." She held out her hand and stood her ground. Her other hand was still in her pocket, balled into a fist as if that would somehow help her keep her cool, and everything was quiet for a moment. Nothing moved except for the wind rustling Akane's long, wavy black hair that was draped over her back and hung loosely around her face.

Mikoto gave a heavy sigh. "You shouldn't talk that way to a King, kid."

He dropped the butt in her hand, which she immediately stomped and turned on as she walked through the doors, stuffing the other hand in the pocket of her red hoodie.

"I'm no kid, Sparky." They all stood outside for a second in silence as the door closed behind her.

"Well? You came all this way for a reason, right?" Mikoto's drawling words ushered them all into the darker room, forcing their eyes to quickly adjust. Yata caught up to Akane as she walked towards the center of the currently only-open-for-auditions restaurant, towards the stage.

"Akane, you can't talk to him like that."

"I just did."

"He's our king, you need to show a little respect."

"I'll respect whoever the fuck I deem worthy of respect. And I do… that's why I'm the only one who treats him like he's a goddamn human being around here instead of a deity. You guys are a bunch of pushovers, he's gotta be sick of it."

"We're not pushovers, we're all just fucking-"

"Yata, if you finish that sentence with sane or _any_ variation of it I'll knock you out where you stand."

"Um… I was gonna say… uh… polite?"

"Good save buddy I'm proud of you."

"Thanks. Now what's the deal here, I feel like we're trespassing."

"Well at least then it wouldn't be anything new."

"Wait what?"

"Nuthin." She walked off to look for someone in charge.

The room they were in was dimly lit with tables and chairs evenly spread across the floor. The walls were lined with booths except for the far left side, which had the bar. Bottles of various liquors and such were carefully aligned on glass shelves with LED lighting behind the bar itself. It was impressive, but still couldn't compare to Kusanagi's meticulously curated set up. The room was mostly empty, except for a couple of people spread out in chairs, obviously waiting to support the possible future performers they had come with. It seemed like the auditions hadn't begun yet. They all seemed bored, most of them on their phones or looking around at various artwork adorning the walls. One guy in a booth had even fallen asleep with his head on the table. The picture of absolute dignity. Drool and all.

The stage itself in the back wasn't incredibly large, but was certainly large enough to suit its purpose. A piano sat in the far right corner and a microphone stood sentry at the forefront. There was room for an additional drum set and amps if they were needed for longer shows or guest performers, or even the occasional karaoke night. Thick, heavy read curtains hung at the sides, drawn back for the day's entertainment, but they often hid the space during the crazier night hours.

Akane walked past the stage, glancing at it only briefly to both not seem freaked out and in turn to not psych herself out even further. She found a door that appeared to be connected to a manager's office and she knocked loudly.

"Hello? Is anyone here? I'm here to audition for the job opening." She turned to look back at the guys she had come with, but they had already claimed one of the large tables and were talking amongst themselves. Mikoto looked annoyed, probably about his now smokeless lungs, but everyone continued on as they had 5 minutes before. The rest of the people, aside from the guy snoring in the back, warily glanced over at them every now and then and shifted in their seats uncomfortably. Some were even looking suspiciously over at her, waiting awkwardly by the manager's door.

 _Why do I feel like bringing them is gonna bite me in the ass later?_

She quickly turned back around and tried to make herself seem presentable as she heard footsteps coming from behind the door, which soon opened. A woman in her early 40's with lavender hair and narrow glasses stood before her, looking up at her. She must've been only a few inches shorter than her but the way she squinted into Akane's face made her seem like she was miles away.

"You're here to sing for me?" Her voice was high pitched, borderline obnoxiously so, but Akane kept the comment to herself.

 _Don't fucking blow it._

"Um, yeah, I saw the flyer a couple days ago and I'd like to go for it if you wouldn't mind." The woman smiled at her, but she didn't like it. For some reason the smile sent a shiver up her spine. She didn't trust this lady.

 _Maybe it's the hair. No one over the age of 25 should have hair like that._

"Of course, honey, we were just about to begin, I didn't think we'd be hearing from anyone else. I'll show to the back where everyone else is waiting."

Akane turned towards the gang one last time and they waved, nodded, and made themselves look like idiots in support. She grinned back at them and waved before disappearing around a corner and down a short hallway before Tatara could call out at her or embarrass her in some other unimaginably horrific way.

"My name is Hinata Soga, but you can call me Ms. Hina. If you end up working here, I'll be your new boss." She smiled over her shoulder and Akane had to force one back, trying not to think about how _Ms. Hina_ might be walking her to a back room to kill her.

Luckily, behind the door at the end of the hall was a modestly sized dressing room. It had a few tables, stools, and mirrors for makeup, bathrooms in the back, and stalls with curtains along one wall for changing outfits. About a dozen people, mostly girls but a couple of guys were mixed in there as well, milled about the room. One girl sat on a stool in the corner looking like she was about to be sick. Another was obsessing over herself in a mirror, obviously thinking she was _all that_ and more. Akane _very_ visibly rolled her eyes. The rest seemed pretty disinterested in their current situation, impatient and wanting to get things rolling.

She stepped in the room and immediately got sized up by the mirror girl.

 _Yep, I bet you're_ super _intimidated by my red converse and black jeans, Barbie._

She realistically probably came off as particularly menacing though. Homra had been rubbing off on her and lately her presence had become a lot more… well, more. It took up 3 times the space she did. She stood with a prouder posture and in a way that commanded attention, shoulders back, eyes up and alert, and with feet slightly apart. This added to the black ripped jeans and the eyeliner that Tatara had _insisted_ on buying her, made her an immediate target for attention and suspicion.

Stepping further into the room, she decided to stand off to the side by the dressing rooms, ignoring one of the guys who had decided not to try to hide the fact that he was checking her out. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from calling him out and possibly instigating a fist fight. That would not be a good look in front of her possible future employer.

"Ok, I think that'll be everyone, thank you all for waiting," Hinata addressed the room and Akane finally took a breath as the guy diverted his unwanted attention to the petite woman. "So, just to go over what we'll be doing today, you're all here to audition as singers, correct?" Various nods around the room. "Ok, good. If you do play any other instruments that you would be willing to perform with, you can let me know when you come up to the stage. The mic should be on and ready to go when you get there, and I don't really care what order you come up in, I'm sure you can handle it. So, when you are called up, go ahead and tell me your name, age, other musical talents, and the song that you will be performing. Afterwards, you can just hang around and watch the rest of the performers and I'll announce who will be doing the sit down interviews. All clear?"

They all nodded.

"Crystal," the creepy guy said, and winked at Akane who winced and rolled her eyes in disgust.

 _So he's one of_ those _. Please don't make me work with this douchebag._

"Ok, thanks hon. At the end of this hopefully I'll have two of you working under my wing. Now, let's get this show on the road! The entrance to the stage is just through that door, and I'll see you in just a moment." She gave one last fake smile and sauntered out of the room. They were left in silence.

A minute or two later they could hear Hinata call out to them through speakers in the corners of the room. "Ok, we're ready, send the first one out!"

Barbie girl instantly stood, "I'll go first. We want to start this thing out with a bang after all." She smirked in blind self confidence and strutted through the door with a flip of her ridiculously bleached hair and the click of her stilettos.

It was quiet again, and Akane felt like she was going to suffocate. She gave a heavy, annoyed sigh, not one to become accustomed to silence. She strolled over to the panicking girl in the back and pulled up a stool in front of her. She rested her heels up on the legs of the stool and rested her elbows on her knees, which were about shoulder length apart.

"You don't look so good." All heads in the room snapped to her in surprise. The other guy, the not as creepy one, chimed in.

"Hey, watch it. Be nice to her." Akane turned and stared him down. He was skinny, probably in his late twenties, with thick rimmed glasses and light brown hair. He had the eyes of a rabbit being chased down by a hawk.

Somehow, he became even more pale and seemed to shrink into himself at the look she gave him. If nothing else she knew how to scare people. Something she constantly enjoyed showing off.

"Don't interrupt." He sealed his jaw shut and nodded in obedience. She turned back to the girl in front of her and softened her gaze. It was like looking in a mirror. She looked almost as freaked out as Akane felt. "What are you nervous about?" Her voice was soft and understanding, having lost the edge and force she had directed at the poor man only seconds ago.

The girl took a shaky breath and responded timidly, "I-I don't know."

Akane laughed, "Honey, that is not the face of someone who doesn't know what's up." She tapped her knee lightly, "I'm scared too, y'know. I haven't sung in front of people in over 2 years." She leaned forward a little and whispered, "And I'll bet you anything these ding dongs are scared too."

The girl's wide, bright blue eyes were wet with unshed tears. "B-but I've never even s-sung in front of anyone before. W-what if they don't like me?" She sniffed and wiped her eye with the back of her hand.

"Then so what? You're here because _you_ want to do something that _you_ enjoy, right? Why should it matter what they think then? There is no way in hell that you're gonna go through life without failing once or twice, so may as well have fun with it."

A hesitant smile shakily found its way onto her face. "I'm Kagami." Her soft voice was still timid, but now had a little heart back in it.

 _ **Don't do it.**_

 _ **Don't tell her who you are.**_

 _ **She's one of them she'll hurt you.**_

 _ **Don't tell her you idiot, don't be stupid if you want to live.**_

Akane to a deep breath and forced herself to overcome the crippling anxiety that came with the voices in her ear. "Akane."

The voice came over the loudspeaker again, "Next please!"

Kagami jumped up in determined excitement, "I'll go next! Even if I fail I'll have fun. Thank you, Akane." They smiled at each other and Kagami bounced out of the room.

Another girl, sitting across from Akane's stool, smiled politely at her. Akane only stared blankly back.

"Hey, that was really cool of you."

The girl in red shrugged and looked away. "She was irritating me," she lied. Another one of her special skills.

"O-oh." It was unbearably quiet for the rest of the time Akane was in the room. Everyone stayed away from her and avoided her gaze, except for that other creep who wouldn't stop staring at her.

 _ **You should do something about that.**_

 _ **Kill him. Killkillkill**_

 _ **Get out of there he's one of them.**_

 _ **Idiot. Letting him hurt you. He'll kill you, you're just too stupid to do anything about it.**_

Akane pressed her hands to her eyes, trying to force the voices out.

 _I'm too nervous, I can't shut them up._

The noise was starting to give her a headache and she was starting to see colors dance on the walls and shadows form in the mirrors. She was spiraling out of control. The speaker came on again, about 4 people after Kagami had left, and Akane stood. The timid man, who looked like he was about to stand up and go himself, saw her move and instantly settled back into his chair and diverted his gaze. She rolled her eyes and made a straight shot for the door, shutting it behind her as quickly as possible.

She took a deep breath, the deepest she had taken since her lung had healed. She felt it shake and cursed at herself. Her palms were sweaty and her knees felt like they would give out from under her.

 _What's wrong with me?!_

She looked down the short hallway that lead to the stage. She could see the edge of the curtain from here. The large room was silent and dark as they waited for her. She took a step forward, another deep breath. Another step. One at a time.

* * *

 _She could hardly breath. The excitement was killing her. Weeks, months of rehearsal all lead up to this moment. Her friends were counting on her. Her boyfriend was counting on her. Butterflies flew through her stomach and she broke out into a grin at the thought._

 _The audience was in darkness and bright light flooded the high school stage and made her mind fuzzy._

No. Focus. Now is not the time to forget lines.

 _She smoothed out her dress one last time and took her first step into the stage._

 _Hiro held his hand out from center stage to her and smiled, teeth and dimple and all, and everything was ok._

 _She could do anything if he was there with her._

* * *

Akane stood before the microphone, feeling smaller than she had in 2 years. Her friends smiled and waved in encouragement from where they sat in the center of the large room before her. She smiled weakly back and she saw Yata's brow furrow. She could faintly see Kagami in the back of the room with someone who looked like her mother, as well as other performers spread around the restaurant.

 _Shit. He can tell. At least my head is quiet for now. Y'know, like a sane person._

"Go ahead, honey." Ms. Hina sat at a fold out table in front of the stage like it was a game show. She had a pen and a notepad in front of her, a microphone that most likely led to the back room sat in a far corner of the table.

Taking one last breath, Akane spoke up.

 _Here goes_.

"Hi, I'm Akane Himura-" Tatara started clapping in excitement and she glared at him. Yata smacked him on the shoulder so he'd stop and they whispered angrily amongst themselves for a second. Mikoto rolled his eyes.

She cleared her throat, "I'm 19, and I also play the piano, guitar, drums, and violin." Hinata nodded in approval and Akane took it as a good sign that she was writing things down. "The song I'll be singing today is Never Enough by Loren Allred."

Hinata nodded to her to begin and she took a small step closer to the mic. Luckily the last person was about the same height as her so she didn't have to bother with adjusting it.

She thought that once she began it would be smooth sailing. The anxiety would disappear and she could just focus on enjoying herself and experiencing performing once again.

That didn't happen.

The start wasn't shaky, per say, but it didn't live up to her typical standards either. She was so worried about messing up and not getting the job that instead of relaxing, she spent her mental energy on ensuring everything was perfect. She stood stiffly and it seemed that the words coming from her mouth weren't her own.

"She's holding back," Yata whispered to Tatara, who frowned and whispered back.

"I think she's just nervous. She really cares about impressing us and getting that job."

"She worries too much," Mikoto added.

Yata looked up at her in concern. Although she hardly ever showed it, he knew how self conscious she was. The slightest comment could leave her ego crippled for days and everything she did was carefully thought through so as to avoid any kind of humiliation or backlash.

She could hardly see. The echoes of the microphone rang in her ears. She couldn't think. She couldn't hear. She could barely breathe.

 _Why did I think I could do this? Why did I think this would be ok?!_

Then her eyes met Yata's and he smiled. He gave a small nod to her and a thumbs up, and instantly saw her shoulders relax and heard the tone of her voice loosen up.

* * *

No. Oh my god no. No no no.

 _The seconds spanned hours. The room was silent but for the roar of her beating heart. She could feel the nausea overcoming her. The heat of the spotlight. The weight of her outfit and the pressure of the hundreds of eyes on her._

I forgot my fucking line.

 _She looked into the audience for anything. Any sign, any little hint that might remind her. And then she saw it._

 _Her eyes met Yata's and she knew he could read her panic._

He's going to laugh at me. He's going to point a finger and say I told you so. I never should have come up here.

 _But he didn't. There were no laughs, no fingers pointed. He just smiled._

 _He nodded her on and gave her a thumbs up. He let her know that he was there and that he believed in her._

 _And she nearly broke down in tears of relief when the lines instantly came back to her and the play continued on._

 _To the audience it had only been about 5 or 10 seconds, but to her it was an eon. And in that eon she learned to desert her fear for good. Because with him around she had no reason to be afraid. With him around fear didn't stand a fucking chance._

* * *

 _That's right. I have people who believe in me. I can do this._

She stopped holding back just in time for the second chorus. She stopped caring. She forgot where she was and what she was doing.

And for the first time in a long long time, she remembered who she was. For the first time she felt like she belonged in her own skin.

And it was beautiful.

* * *

 **A/N: And another one's down :) This I felt was a lot more character building for Akane. It was a bit fluffier but hey I updated sooner and this was something that still had to happen so now you can look forward to more drama haha. Everything is going according to plannnn...**

 **Ok! I've decided to start responding to comments too because... I'm like that? For now I'll just do the last 3 since I'm starting a bit late on that. If you comment I could respond to you too, so don't be afraid to leave something behind! I love hearing what you guys have to say, especially constructive criticism and stuff like that. Schizophrenia research is a LOT so I'm sure I've missed stuff that you could help me fix.**

 **From steph557: "Schizophrenia is a scary scary thing. At first, I thought it was the colorless king who was messing with her, but it's her own demons. Thanks for the great chapters! I enjoyed em. Looking forward to updates :D"**

 **-I'm glad you're enjoying the story! The colorless king would've been such a cool take on this omg I hadn't even thought of that... maybe I'll do a short 1 or 2 chapter spin off at some point ;)**

 **From bb king: "Like your story very much.** **I don't think there are many OC like yours, i like her insanity.** **And the slow progress of their relationship is done nicely.** **Hope to see new chapter soon :)"**

 **-I've worked pretty hard in trying to figure out how to gradually reveal her past and develop relationships between characters** **, and how to make Akane truly different and not like every other fanfic heroine or love interest haha** **so it makes me really happy to hear that that's paying off. Thank you!**

 **From Red: "This girl is dark...And i'm scared to think how much more sad this will get for her if you're not even halfway with her DARK backstory. Abd i'm definitely for Mikane, it's cute and brings insane giggles out of me.** **Good luck with your RL story. Sometimes it takes time to get out of the ditch..."**

 **-Mikane it is then, it's official (I preferred that one too tbh)! And it'll be sad but hopefully also really interesting and not just a shitload of depression lmao. Also thank you for the good luck, now that I'm all set for college I just have to survive high school without just ditching all the time haaa it's REALLY DIFFICULT knowing what's ahead of me. All the support is greatly appreciated and I'm working hard to stay afloat :)**

 **Okie, until next time guyssss BaI leave comments for me they make my day**

 **-TFT #notdeadyet**


	15. Chapter 15: A New Moon

15

"Ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod ohmyGOD!" Akane burst into the bar with her hands tangled in her hair and her arms in the sky. For lack of a better term, she looked like a madman. Kusanagi leaned his elbows on the bar in amusement.

"So? How'd it go?" Mikoto sat down at the bar and rolled his eyes.

"I GOT THE JOB! Well, me and one other girl but STILL I GOT IT!" She was jumping around and spinning in circles like a child and the customers present started to look a little uneasy. No one had the heart to tell her to stop though, they'd never seen her so excited.

"She's been doing this the entire way back… I told you not to worry about it." Yata stood by the door with his hands behind his head and elbows up.

Kusanagi chuckled and shook his head. It was good to see her genuinely happy rather than scattered or just bogged down like she usually did, not that it was her fault.

"I knew you would, kid. Here, I got something for you…" He ducked down and grabbed something from under the bar.

"Hey, I'm not a kid- ooooohhh what's that it's so shiny," she bounced over to the bar and hopped on one of the stools, folding her legs under her so she was more perched on her feet than actually sitting. Before her there now sat a shiny golden gift bag stuffed with red tissue paper. The culprit stood there looking very satisfied with his handiwork. Everyone who had gotten closer to her over the past couple of weeks gathered around, apparently in on the man's schemes. "What is this, you aren't supposed to get me anything. Else. Ever." She half-heartedly glared at him and he shrugged.

"We couldn't help it."

"Oh so this was a team effort to sabotage me?"

"Open it already!" Yata was standing right behind her, peering over her shoulder.

"Ok, fine, but I hope you all know that I am seriously protesting this kind of beh- what…" She looked in the bag and then back up to Kusanagi, "...the fuck. Is this?"

"Go on, open it up."

"Ok, look, I know you guys are trying to be nice and generous and all but this is seriously too much. I _can't._ "

Tatara appeared beside her smiling and took her hand.

"Akane. Please take it." She opened the unwrapped, labeled box and carefully held the new, black, shiny, _breakable_ phone in her hands. She turned it over and saw that the back was custom made with the red Homra fire symbol on it. They watched as her eyes widened to somehow be even bigger than they already were, and they began to get watery. She put it carefully down on the bar and just stared at it for a second. Then she looked at Kusanagi and, right as they all thought she was going to burst into tears, she hugged him. He cried out in shock as he was forced in a strange angle to lean over the bar while she was kneeling on the seat on the other side of it, but it only took him a moment to awkwardly hug her back.

Mikoto slightly narrowed his eyes at this from the sideline. Something that he would later question himself on, and something that didn't go unnoticed by Tatara. The younger man's lips twitched as he tried to fight off a mischievous smile.

She finally released the bar owner, who took an exaggerated breath at his freedom and readjusted his ascot. She turned to the phone and carefully picked it up again, "Really though, guys. This is too much. You're seriously insane." Her smile was so bright it seemed like it could never fade. "Also uh… how do you turn it on?" She looked to the bar owner for help. "I've never had one of these things before."

He smiled understandingly and she took an internal breath of relief at the lack of judgement. Another thing that she had noticed was how accepting they all were of her general lack of knowledge of the modern world. It was ridiculously refreshing and now she barely hesitated to ask for help. At least in that area of expertise.

He reached over and held the button on the side for a moment before the screen lit up and the device sang a little tune. Her eyes lit up in even more excitement and wonder.

"It's already set up for you, Akane," he said. "It has all of our numbers programmed into it and a tracker so we can all see where everyone is. When you have it on, that is. I'm in your speed dial so if there's ever an emergency it's easy to contact me at any time."

She looked at him happily, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, "I have no clue what that means but thank you!"

He smiled and shook his head, "Just have Yata show you later."

"Ugghhh, fine," said the boy from behind her. "How come she gets a phone though and I just get a dumb watch?!" She could tell he had brought up a sensitive topic when Kusanagi's expression turned to a glare at breakneck speed.

"Well maybe you could have nice things if you wouldn't _break them_ every time I turn my back!"

He opened his mouth to protest but got interrupted, "Woah woah woah, how many of these things did you break, exactly?" He mumbled a response to his friend that absolutely no one could understand. "Ohhhh no, you're not getting out of this one, how many?"

He threw his head back and sighed in exasperation, "Three, okay?! I lost one and broke the other two _thanks_ for bringing it up!"

They all started laughing and she beamed at him, "Well I'm glad _some_ things haven't changed."

"Psh, whatever. It wasn't even my fault." He crossed his arms and looked away like the brooding teenager he was desperately trying to be. Trying.

The next hour was spent trying to get her to figure out the phone in spite of her hundreds of questions that they really didn't have answers for, and many of which were, quite frankly, nonsense.

"Ugh, it just _works_ ok?!"

"Well yeah but _how_?!" They had all but given up when she finally found the camera feature. "You mean… I can take pictures with this?"

"Videos too, if you want." She beamed at Tatara and instantly started obsessively taking pictures of _everything_. The bar, the windows, and then she started making everyone take awkward selfies with her.

"Give me a break, I've never been able to take pictures of my own with people before." All the moments she could have captured. All the smiles missed and ridiculous antics lost. She had to make up for it now that she finally could, and there was no way she would waste another second. She refused to ever forget them. "Now shut up and pretend you're happy I'm here, Yata." He gave a sigh of defeat but the picture captured a light in his eyes that said otherwise. "Finally, _thank you_."

"Yeah yeah whatever." She nearly flew off to the bar and he smiled.

"Hey boss, wanna take a picture with me?!"

He shook his head in amusement, putting down the glass he was cleaning. It seemed like he always had one thing or another to clean at every point in time. It almost bothered her. "I guess I could manage that."

"I would say you don't have to but you really do." She smiled happily at him and he couldn't even manage to snap about the tone she was using with him. He just leaned his elbows on the bar and smiled as she perched on one of the stools and captured it.

He chuckled and ruffled her hair like a kid, which made her shoot a nasty look at him. "Not bad."

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah you're not looking so shabby yourself." The sly smile she gave him made him half terrified and half want to smack her over the head. But yet again her attention was diverted, shooting from one side of the room to the other at a pace no one but herself could keep up with.

"Mikoto?" He lazily looked over from his seat at the bar next to her and she held up her phone expectantly.

He shrugged, "Eh, find someone else."

"You're really not gonna let me take a picture with you?" The hurt tone in her voice made him want to immediately take it back despite the fact that he was just teasing her. It _very_ quickly turned to anger and the guilt fizzled away. "Why not?! That's bullshit!" Izumo chastised her for her language while he was in business. Again. She waved him off, looking more and more peeved.

Mikoto had to hold back a smile at her frustration, "Don't feel like it."

She looked like she was about to start pulling her hair out. Or maybe his. Or anyone's in the direct vicinity. "Don't be like that. It's just a picture."

"Exactly."

Akane stopped to think for a second before firing back at him. "If you don't I'll stop coming downstairs when I can't sleep. For real, I don't have a problem being alone." He raised a brow at this little threat. Although he had just been messing with her he realized how much her company actually meant to him. He even enjoyed it. And apparently she knew that. Or maybe she was just grasping at straws, he never could tell with her.

She had made a habit of coming down and talking or smoking with him for a while when she couldn't sleep or if she woke up from a nightmare. It helped the time to pass and the sound of her voice worked to calm him and help him sleep, even if he would never admit it.

She wasn't boring and she treated him like a normal person. Like a friend.

He faked defeat, "Fine." Kusanagi smiled and inwardly laughed at this. His friend was growing soft, something he didn't think could be done beyond the extent that Anna had changed him. He'd have to thank Tatara later for forcing Akane to stay with them. Annoyingly enough, the younger man was right again. She was important to them and if she left now it would definitely leave some lasting scars.

The smile widened when he saw her trying to take the picture.

"Fuck I switched the camera around, how do I- nope, that's zoom- _derr'mo,_ " they had recently learned that when she began cursing in other languages she was really starting to get pissed. They doubted she even noticed. Mikoto diffused the bomb by reaching over her shoulder from behind her and tapping the screen, instantly fixing it. "Oh. That was easy." She turned her head over her shoulder, "Thank you!"

The bar owner noticed Yata trying not to look over at them while he played a video game against some of the guys at a table. Poor kid. It was obvious how he felt about her, but it didn't seem like she had given him the same kind of more selective attention. Or that she had even considered it. He seemed content enough to just have her around though. And he wasn't nervous or anything like it was a secret, so it was even likely that she had talked it out with him before.

 _Wait a second._

He looked back to the two taking the picture. Mikoto had an arm rested on the bar behind him and she happily held the camera up and made a face before hitting the shutter button. The king smiled just in time, unable to help himself. She immediately spun around and showed him, talking animatedly about it since she was currently taken over by one of her more bubbly personas.

 _No way._

* * *

A couple of hours passed before Yata came up to the bar with an upset Akane following him, yelling at him in tongues that they couldn't understand.

"Kusanagi-san, we should go out tonight to celebrate-OW!" Akane smacked him over the head.

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO SAY ANYTHING!"

"Hey, no fighting inside. If you wanna start hitting each other take it to the street."

"But-" she shut her mouth with a mild glare and a click of her tongue when he gave her a look.

"She was whining about never hanging out with us even though _she's_ always the one who wants to stay behind!" She winced at that. She didn't want to stay behind at all. The girl would much rather have been spending time with them than beating lugs to a bloody pulp for cash. She didn't have the choice. Well, not until now that is. Pre-job Akane didn't have a choice, but she would make sure things were about to change. She had had enough of wasting time not enjoying life while she still had it.

"I'm sorry, I just… wasn't up for it before." She rubbed her shoulder and tugged at the sleeves of her sweater self consciously. The other two chalked it up to her mental illness and, to hopefully avoid an awkward conversation, Kusanagi redirected the topic.

"We don't need an explanation, Akane, we can head out in a few minutes. I think we should all unwind a bit, all things considered. Just let me close up here."

"All things considered? What does that mean?"

"We've been getting shit from some punks in another gang, don't worry about it," Yata answered her hesitantly.

"What do you mean don't worry about it?!"

"I mean it's our problem so don't worry about it." That one stung to the core.

 _I keep forgetting I'm not one of them. You idiot, don't forget your place._

"O-oh. Right. Sorry." She shrugged, "I just get worried sometimes that you'll get hurt or something. But you're right, you can take care of yourself." He instantly felt sorry at her dejected expression. He wasn't going to mention it at all to avoid hurting her feelings, but it was impossible to avoid her questions. Best to just rip off the band aid for her own health and safety. He would never forgive himself if she tried to get involved and got hurt somehow. Again.

Kusanagi called out to no one in particular, "Would someone send out a message that we're heading out to a club, if anyone wants to come they can."

"Got it! Newbies too?"

"Yeah, why not. May as well." Rikio immediately got to it and a few seconds later Akane's phone buzzed in her pocket. She jumped and nearly dropped it on the floor.

"Whaaaaaaat dafuq was that," the confused tone in her voice made Yata laugh at her.

"It's a text doofus, we programmed all of our numbers in before we gave you the phone, remember?"

She eventually got the device to unlock and looked in wonder at the new group text she was part of.

"Witchcraft." Her eyes were wide and had a hint of mischief.

"Don't spam us or we'll kick you out."

"Aw no fun," she pouted. And again her mind jumped off and scattered in a new direction, "Since we're heading out I'm gonna go change into… not this." She made a mad, nearly desperate dash for the stairs after gesturing to the sweatpants and large t shirt she was wearing. But alas, she wasn't fast enough. She never stood a chance.

"I'll help you pick something out, Akane!" The girl winced and she turned around hesitantly.

"Ohhhh, that's ok, you don't have to, Tatara."

"Oh yes. I do." She rolled her eyes dramatically and the guys stifled laughs as she trudged after him up the stairs to her doom. Tatara had developed a habit of experimenting with her look. Ever since they had gone shopping she would find random outfits set out for her when she woke up, and he'd get upset if she didn't wear them.

When they got to her room she flopped on her bed like usual and started messing with her phone. "I take it I'm not really gonna be a part of this?" He happily mhmed and she rolled off the bed. "Should I be worried?"

He lightly smacked her hand out of the way as she tried to reach over his shoulder to grab a shirt she saw.

"Of course not!" He made it sound like he knew what he was doing. He always sounded like he knew what he was doing. He probably didn't.

Akane took a deep breath, "I'm just gonna be over here stress tuning my violin."

"Ok." All that filled the room was the occasional _plink_ of a plucked string, followed by another of a slightly different pitch. Then it stopped and there was silence.

"Akane."

"Hm?" She seemed to be zoning out at the closed door, but at the same time the look on her face was intense with thought.

"What are you thinking about?"

Her answer was delayed, the space filled with only more silence and the muffled voices of people downstairs. Tatara occasionally held up a shirt and either put it back or added it to a steadily growing pile on a chair next to him. Waiting patiently for her answer. It always came one way or another if he waited.

"Do they…" she trailed off and for a moment it seemed like she wouldn't continue. "Do they talk about me?" Her voice was quiet and even. She was trying a little too hard to hide how she felt.

"What do you mean?"

"I have a hard time reading people sometimes. Most of the time. I don't… I can't tell if they like me or if they just think I'm an obnoxious bitch who's always in the way."

He walked over to her and set some clothes down on the end of the bed. Then he took a seat beside her and gently grabbed her hands, which had been sporadically pulling at her sleeves again.

"They like you. It's ok." She smiled weakly at him, "And you will never be in the way. Now…" he shoved the outfit into her hands as she blinked, trying to get a grasp of his words, "Try this on."

"Akane, Tatara, we're leaving!" Kusanagi called up to them as they all walked out the door a half hour later.

They heard the two arguing just out of sight. "Tatara, I can't go out like this I look fucking ridiculous."

"Oh relax, you look great. Let's go!" He came into view as he lightly trotted down the stairs and Akane could be heard half heartedly grumbling at him before they saw her too. She was wearing a thick black cardigan with a low cut red v-neck shirt that clung to her frame, and high waisted black shorts with gold buttons going down the middle. Her hair was parted more to the side than it usually was and the dramatic black eyeliner and vibrant red lipstick only added to her usual intensity.

She flipped him off and the gold bracelets on her wrist jangled as she walked out the door and snapped to the general vicinity, "Don't look at me unless you wanna get shanked."

"And here we were thinking you'd be the one who was afraid of _us_." The bar owner locked up the door behind everyone. "Shall we?"

* * *

 _The lights screamed in her eyes and the blasting noise danced in her ears. The people around her blurred and warped with the vibrancy of everything. She could practically taste the energy, the warmth, the danger. She could tastefeelhear everything. The click of her boots on the floor, the breathing of the hundreds of people packed into the room, the tightness of the black jeans hugging her legs and the leather gloves covering her forearms. The looseness of the flowing white blouse and fur coat covering her shoulders that made her look like a fallen angel. This was the jungle. And she refused to be anywhere but the top of the food chain._

" _Hyou." Her face was unchanging as her eyes moved to the man she arrived with. "Don't get distracted."_

 _She nodded curtly and cracked her knuckles before tossing her hair back and stepping into the fray with a dangerous, glittering smile. The dumb ones always dive headfirst into danger without thinking. She was a fishhook they couldn't help but underestimate, and that would be their fatal flaw._

" _Of course not, Michael. What do you take me for, an amateur?" And her fingers twitched in anticipation as she locked onto her first target of many to come._

* * *

"Akane we've been over this, I can't." Kusanagi I had to raise his voice to be heard over the noise by the upset girl.

"Oh, come on, it's just a _drink_."

"And it's _just_ my liquor license and my entire business. You're still a minor, I can't risk it."

She turned her eyes skyward and growled in frustration. She was stressed and it had been ages since she'd had a drink. She wanted… no, _needed_ a distraction after everything that had been happening lately. And what better distraction than to black out drunk and forget everything altogether?

"I'm surprised you didn't ask Chitose honestly."

"Yeah I tried that already. Thought it would be easy."

"And?"

"And you scare the crap out of these guys, you jerk. I figured I'd just try the source as a last ditch effort." She had taught him a little too much about sarcasm in the time they'd spent together, and it was now coming back to bite her.

"Yeah not buying a beer for a 19 year old definitely makes me the bad guy here."

She huffed in irritation and turned with hopeful, big eyes to Mikoto, who was sitting behind her as she stood between the two men at the bar.

"Mikoto?" He turned to look at her and opened his mouth to speak, but closed it and turned away shaking his head no as Kusanagi glared daggers at him from behind her. She sighed in defeat and hung her head as she took the seat on the other side of the man who turned out to be the one truly in charge. "I'll just have a water then." She put her head on her arms as she slumped over the alien bar and the beverage was placed before her.

He turned away from Mikoto and spoke in a slightly lower voice to Akane.

 _Now's as good a time as any I suppose,_ he thought to himself. This was a conversation he knew that he just had to get over with. And he was not looking forward to it.

"You two have gotten close."

"Eh?" She picked her head up and looked at him as he gestured over his shoulder at the Red King, then shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. We both have pretty fucked up sleeping schedules so we hang out a bit." She smiled at Kusanagi with humor in her eyes, "I'd go as far as to say he even tolerates me." He chuckled at this.

"You seem to be pretty fond of him yourself."

She put her glass of water down and he saw her eyes flick over him suspiciously, trying to analyze him. Her tone wasn't as playful this time. "What does _that_ mean?"

 _Damn she caught on fast._

He pretended not to notice as he faced forward and tried to ignore how anxious she seemed to make him when she got intense like this. He tried to clear the frog in his throat, "Nothing, nothing. I was only wondering just… _how_ fond you might be?" He winced, hearing exactly how bad that came out. She only looked at him in blank silence for a second, no emotion showing whatsoever.

And then, "You can't be serious." She saw that he was. Her face didn't change but he could see anger begin to fill her eyes as she barked out a humorless laugh, and when she spoke again there was a burning edge to her words. "Fuck this, I need a drink." She pushed off from the bar without making eye contact and began to storm off.

"I told them all not to buy you anything!" He called after her.

"This place is full of idiots, Kusanagi, I'm sure I can find one who won't be a total dick."

"What did you do to her?" The King watched as she disappeared furiously into the crowd of strangers.

"Just hit a nerve," he took a long sip from his drink and then decided to down it and get another. "She's a handful, that's for sure."

The Kind allowed himself a small, dry laugh. "That's an understatement." But if she was so much trouble and frankly kind of irritating to have to keep an eye on all the time, why couldn't he stop searching for her in the crowd? How come the second she left his sight he felt a tightness in his chest and his stomach began to churn? "We should keep an eye on her though. Don't know what could happen with all these people." He was just worried as a King looking over his new subject. That's all. That's all it could possibly be. What else _could_ it be?

 _Fucking Kusanagi and his goddam suspicions, why can't I just be friends with people?!_

Those around her began to blur and blend together as she got lost in the crowd, and Akane began to try to sift through them to find a worthy victim.

 _Stop thinking about it._

 _ **That's so like you.**_

 _ **Of course he thinks that, it's true isn't it?**_

 _ **Idiot. You stupid slut. You're too stupid to learn from your mistakes.**_

 _ **Kill him. You should kill him for saying that to you. How dare he.**_

 _ **Listen listen listen they're only going to hurt you and kill you and bury you and beat you and listen to me you have to run and hide and hurt them before they hurt you listen listen.**_

She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her palms to her temples at the screaming headache in her head. She could hear. Everything. The music the voices every motion of the people around her. She couldn't sort through them any longer. The stress was finally making her head snap. It felt like there was something crawling under her skull, trying to pry it open. She couldn't take this.

"Hey, you ok? Don't I know you?" She opened her eyes and tried to put on a face that didn't show her pain or the nausea that was slowly creeping up on her as she fought to hear the voice before her over the ones that were for her alone. She blinked in surprise at the face looking back.

 _Finally, something I can work with._

It was the guy from earlier that day, at the auditions. The creepy one who had been staring at her the whole time. Since she had performed before him she had to sit through his own singing. He was almost ok, but she definitely remembered flinching in pain a few times from the sound.

 _Tactic tactic tactic shit I need to figure out how to use this guy. This should work…_

She batted her eyelids at him and gave a small smile, looking up through her lashes. "I'm, y-yeah I'm ok, thank you. Weren't you at the audition earlier today? I remember seeing you, you were _really_ good." She accentuated her speech with insane hand motions and rolling her eyes like they did in all the movies she hated.

 _I feel like it's times like these when I really bring out my self hatred._

"Haha, thank you. You must've been better though, I mean you got the job, right?"

She waved a hand at him, "Yeah, but that lady didn't know what she was talking about, honestly I'm no good. I think maybe you were too high for her standards." A ridiculous fake laugh followed.

 _Shit, that was too much. Please be an idiot please be an idiot._

She almost felt bad for using him like this, he was actually kind of cute. If only his personality didn't suck ass.

"Hey, do you," He cleared his throat and raised his voice to be heard above the noise, "Can I buy you a drink?" She just nodded, trying not to look desperate, and added a flip of her hair over her shoulder just to drive the point home.

 _And let the games begin. Wonder where I'll wake up this time…_

Over the next half hour or so she stood at the far wall of the club, watching the people pretend to know how to dance, dragging along her walking liquor wallet. She never even bothered to learn his name.

At some point she locked eyes with Kusanagi from across the room, who raised an eyebrow at her. She only raised her beer and nodded back in smug victory.

"Who're those guys?"

"What?!" She couldn't hear him, especially with the drunken fogginess taking over.

This time he had to yell. "The guy you just waved too, I saw the one next to him earlier with you at the Candle. He your boyfriend?"

She almost choked on her drink before bursting into laughter. "Hell no! Trust me, he's just a friend. I wish people would stop fucking saying that." The last bit she said more to herself than her company.

He was suddenly beaming at her. She wanted him to stop. It was creeping her out.

 _ **He's going to hurt you.**_

 _ **He knows who you are.**_

 _ **He was sent to hurt you.**_

 _ **Get him. Get him now before he hurts you.**_

 _ **He was sent here.**_

 _ **He sent him. He sent him. He found you. He sent him here to get you.**_

She _really_ wanted him to stop. The world was dizzying. She wasn't sure if she could fight him even if she had the chance. Even if she had to.

* * *

Mikoto watched them uneasily from across the sea of mindless clubbers. He didn't like it. Any of it. He didn't trust the stranger that she was with, that she was letting her guard down and drinking so much around him. And he didn't like the way this douchebag was looking at her.

Something definitely wasn't right.

He could see the immediate shift in her demeanor when she realized that maybe she had taken things too far. She was slowly trying to break away from him, averting her attention and trying to hide the mildly panicked look in her eyes. She knew she was next to defenseless in this state.

He stood up and began to walk slowly over when the stranger pinned Akane against the wall.

* * *

"Woah woah, look, I think there's been some kind of misunderstanding here."

"Oh I've been reading you loud and clear all night." He slowly looked her up and down and she very visibly cringed and tried to step away, but he blocked her with his other arm. She could smell the drink on his breath, and, although she was sure hers wasn't much better, it still seemed overpowering and made her head spin.

 _Ok, I'm not actually as drunk as I thought. I think I can fight him if I have to. I really don't want to do that though. Not if I don't have to._

"Well that's kind of impossible because I have nothing _to_ make clear so just let me go and we can forget this whole thing ever happened. No one has to get hurt here."

"Get hurt? Of course no one's gonna get hurt. I just wanna have a little fun, baby."

He leaned in and she pushed back against the wall, trying to push him away. But it was no use. In the ring she had room and wits and she could use any kind of momentum she needed to overpower her opponents. Here it was a different story. No matter how smart she was, brute force would definitely be able to overpower her at this proximity. If she, a 19 year old girl, wasn't stronger than a full grown man then it wasn't her fault. Only her unfixable problem.

"I think we've already had enough fun here, buddy."

"Oh come on, you owe me after those drinks I bought you. C'mon, loosen up a little."

"I said no, you offered me those drinks I don't owe you a damn thing," she forgot the act altogether and stood her ground, looking in his eyes, stern and cold. The pitch of her voice dropped a little and adopted a sharp edge. "Now let go of me."

He sighed into her face and she scrunched up her nose at the odor.

 _ **We told you.**_

 _ **You should've listened.**_

 _ **He's going to hurt you.**_

 _ **Hit him hit him hithim hithim hittim hittimhittimhittim**_

 _ **You can't trust him he was sent here to get you.**_

 _ **They caught you they found you they caught you you're going to die die die just like everyone else and there's no one to save you.**_

 _ **You aren't worth the effort.**_

"You're not going to make this easy, are you?"

"Bitch, I don't make anything easy," her heart sank when he shook his head in disappointment.

 _I'm not gonna be able to talk myself out of this one, am I?_

She had her answer when the guy suddenly grabbed her hair from behind her head, making her yelp. That had always been a sort of weak point of hers, one of several reasons why she always tied it up for a real fight. Panic began to rise as she saw he was dragging her towards a side door that lead out into an alley.

 _Nono not again, I've had enough of this bullshit._

But before she had the chance to do something, it was done for her.

She stumbled a little before catching herself when the pressure of the creep's hands disappeared.

 _Oh no. Nonononono what did they do this time?!_

Sure enough, when she turned around she saw Mikoto lazily pinning the guy against the wall by the front of his shirt. It infuriated her how easy he made it look. Actually, she was just pissed in general.

"What are you doing, Mikoto?!" He didn't even look at her as the guy, partially recovering from the shock, tried to shove the gang leader away.

It almost made her laugh. He was quite a bit shorter than Mikoto and despite the effort he put into the shove, her 'savior' only stepped back because he didn't like the close proximity of the other's face. The whole thing was quite comical.

"You really shouldn't have done that," Mikoto said as he cocked his head to the side just a little and the corners of his mouth twitched in a ghost of a smile. Whether he was talking about the guy grabbing Akane or trying to shove him personally no one knew, and even though he barely raised his voice everyone could hear as it pierced through the rest of the noise. She watched as, for the first time, she caught anger in his golden eyes. His aura began to shimmer just the slightest bit and the temperature of the room around him rose by several degrees. She could see the fire in his eyes, and she could see when he realized he was about to lose a bit of control. This was just an average human. If he released even a fraction of his power it was likely the guy wouldn't survive it. Regardless of the quality of his actual personality, he didn't quite deserve to meet a fiery end just yet.

He looked over at Akane, who mostly looked like she wanted to rip his head off, but he could still detect a trace of fear from her close call. Always trying to put on a brave face. Other members of Homra who had been scattered about could be seen through his peripherals, slowly wading through the people to see what their King had gotten riled up for. He really couldn't afford to use his flame here.

He turned back to the guy and his eyes narrowed oh so slightly. Akane's widened and she opened her mouth to say, or probably furiously yell, something.

And then he punched the jackass right in his jackass face.

* * *

" _You shouldn't have done that, you stupid kid." The man lightly touched his cheek where she had punched him. She had used every bit of strength she had and he had only barely stumbled._

" _Akane, please, just go back to your room," the woman whispered and pleaded with her from the ground where she layed. Her eye was already swelling and Akane could see where bruises were forming on the woman's arm._

He can't get away with this. I won't let him hurt you. You didn't do anything wrong. Not like me, I'm not worth protecting.

 _It was too late anyway. There was no taking this back. She took what she believed to be a defensive stance in front of the woman, trying to guard her as much as she could._

And his rage belongs to me.

" _I'm not a kid." Had she always sounded so weak? So small and pathetic?_

 _The man burst into laughter, "Don't try to pull that bullshit, you're_ twelve _. You're nothing."_

 _She glared at him as harshly as she could, but she could already tell it had no effect. She tried to talk back as best she could in slightly broken Japanese. "Yeah, well, it runs in the family."_

 _He snarled at her and grabbed her by the arm, causing her to cry out and the woman to burst into hysterical sobs._

" _Don't hurt her, I'm begging you! Please, she's just a child!"_

 _The response was a loud thud as Akane was hurled against the nearest wall. Her vision became blurry and her head felt like it would split in half. She couldn't move. She couldn't speak. She was just a small, powerless child who couldn't protect the ones she loved._

" _That'll teach you to watch your mouth, you damn punk. After everything I've done for you, taking you in and_ feeding _you out of the goodness of my heart! And this is what I get? You're lucky you're just a kid." He leaned in close and she did her best to glare at him through the pain. "Otherwise you'd be dead." He stood up and walked over to the woman, who was trying to muffle her sobs. He kicked her in the stomach and she doubled over in agony, coughing harshly. "Clean this up, you worthless whore."_

 _And then he was gone. As if nothing had happened. As if the two girls were crumpled on the floor in mind numbing pain for no reason at all._

 _Akane was soon able to regain composure, wobbling to her feet to the tune of quiet crying a few feet away. She always bounced back faster than anyone expected. It was her special skill. And every day she became more thankful for it._

At least I know this is real.

 _She took shaky steps before kneeling by the other person in the room. She tried to be as gentle as possible, but the woman still flinched with force that no one should know, as Akane placed her hand on the other's shoulder._

" _Are you ok?"_

 _The woman nodded slowly and looked at Akane with broken eyes. She pulled herself halfway up, to an awkward sit, and placed her hands on the younger girl's shoulders._

" _Akane, why would you do that? You can't ever step in like that again!"_

 _She was shocked at the harshness in the words, "I-I was just trying to help."_

" _Getting hurt doesn't help anyone. I know it's hard, but you have to stay safe so you can get out of here."_

 _She shook her head adamantly, "No. I'm not going to sit back and watch him do this to you. Besides, I can take a hit. I won't ever sit here without at least trying to help. I- I can't. You don't deserve this." The woman looked at her in fear and sadness. But also in wonder at this mere child who had been through so much already. And now this. And here she was telling this rundown old hag who had run her course about morals and human rights. "I won't ever desert you. I won't stand by and watch someone get hurt when they don't even have the chance to defend themself. Look," she made sure they were looking each other in the eyes, "One day I'm gonna get out of here. I am. And I'm gonna find a way to save you. I'm gonna find a way to get stronger and faster than him and I swear I'll get you out of here. You just have to be strong until then. Just hang in there."_

I have to protect her. Just this once. I can't lose another one. I have to protect all of them.

 _She swore that the only thing that would hold her back from the ones she loved was death himself._

* * *

And the jackass crumpled to the ground.

Any ordinary girl would've shrieked, or maybe started crying, or maybe they would've begun obsessively thanking Mikoto for saving their drunk ass skin. Naturally, Akane decided her tactic would be to start yelling in pure ferocity like _he_ was the one who had been manhandling her.

"WHAT THE _FUCK_ WAS THAT?! Why would you do that, are you _crazy_ I had things under fucking control _maldito hijo de puta, puedo cuidarme solo, no necesito una maldita niñera, no me importa quién diablos crees que eres, jodidamente aspirante a caballero con brillante armadura_ I can TAKE CARE OF MYSELF!" Her hair was all mussed up and was starting to fall in her now red face while her hands waved in the air and she threw words at him that she knew he couldn't understand.

"Are you done yet?" No are you okays or calm the fuck downs, no. He knew it was useless when she was like this. Better to let it run its course. He had to admit it was impressive, though. She'd been drinking for nearly 45 minutes and her speech was barely even slurring. If he could focus on that or the piercing grey of her eyes, the melodic rise and fall of her voice, if he could just focus, then maybe he wouldn't lose his temper. But she was pushing it. She was seriously about to make him mad.

"Woah, what happened?!" She turned to the suddenly present Yata with a fierceness that actually made him take a step back. That snapped her out of it like a crisp slap in the face. She blinked and looked around for a second like she had no idea where she was.

"I… I just…"

"Akane?" She looked at Mikoto and her face turned serious once again before she turned away.

"Just… leave me alone." She pulled the cardigan tightly around herself and had disappeared out the side door before anyone had the chance to stop her.

The air was cold. It bit her skin and clawed at the angry tears building up in her eyes.

 _ **We tried to warn you.**_

 _ **We told you.**_

 _ **We told you we told you we told you.**_

 _ **Idiot.**_

 _ **You should've listened.**_

 _ **We told you so.**_

"SHUT _UP!_ " She wasn't sure where she was at this point. She didn't know how long she had been walking. All she knew was that being sober made her head scream. She tried to take a breath and ignore them the best she could, and took in her surroundings.

Luckily she hadn't been walking on, or _in_ , the street, and there was no one to hear her outburst. She had ended up keeping to alleys and dark, abandoned walkways. In fact, it had seemed that her feet had been in autopilot and had taken her only a few blocks away from the abandoned building where the fights were usually held. Tonight it would be quiet though.

There was muffled laughter that echoed between the buildings to her left, the next alleyway over. When she looked around the corner she saw two teenage boys laughing at a cardboard box that they were throwing stones at. A case of beer sat between them. Akane probably would've just tried to trick them. Scare them off or distract them while she grabbed the box and ran. But tonight she was on the edge of snapping, and when she realized what they were doing it sent her over.

The pathetic cries of a small animal sounded from inside the box, and she could barely see the desperate, pleading eyes shining from within, reflecting the chilling moonlight. They would probably torture it for a while longer before killing it for fun. The thought made her vision turn crimson.

 _ **Kill them kill them kill them.**_

"Hey! What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" They turned to her with a start, but relaxed and laughed when they realized it was just a girl who was probably only barely older than them. They laughed again and it echoed and bounced across the walls of her skull.

"Jus' havin' some fun, wanna try?" He tried tossing her a pebble to throw at the box. She caught it and, without hesitation, threw it as hard as she could right into his face.

His hand flew to his eye as he cried out and she forcefully grabbed him by his collar and shoved him against the brick wall behind him. There was a fresh cut just above his right eyebrow and it fuelled her burst of fury.

"Doesn't feel too hot, does it?" He just looked at her in terror and shook his head frantically. His friend stood to the side in shock, not sure what to do. They very obviously had never been put in a position like this before, used to being the bullies rather than the bullied. She got closer to him and hissed in a threatening whisper, "If I ever see you around here again that rock's going in your goddamn eye, got it?" He nodded his head again as if he was having a seizure, and when she let him go he and his friend sprinted away as fast as they could into the night.

 _ **You let him go you stupid girl.**_

 _ **They'll tell they'll tell they'll find you he'll find you.**_

 _ **Stupid stupid stupidstupid.**_

 _ **You monster. They were just kids. You attacked mere children you freak.**_

She knelt by the box they had been attacking and slowly looked inside. The cat hissed at her and she smiled.

"Good, you've still got some fight in you." She just waited for a minute and held her hand out, trying to coax it out of the box. Eventually the scared creature showed its face and, realizing she wouldn't hurt it, began to purr as she petted it. "Well hello to you too, beautiful." The cat was black with shining green eyes, a patch of white on its chest, and had white stockings on its hind legs. "Alright, you're safe now, go on." It didn't budge. "C'mon, leave!" She groaned in annoyance as the cat only looked up and mewed at her. "Whatever, suit yourself."

Akane grabbed the case of beer and began to walk decidedly further into the depths of Shizume. She had calmed down some after blowing off some steam, and it was refreshing to not be lost. And she wouldn't deny enjoying the company of her newfound little friend.

 _Speaking of 'friends'._

She finally stopped at the side of a large apartment building, lined with evenly spaced windows and fire escapes. The girl searched the ground nearby with the cat circling her legs before finding what she had been looking for. She threw the stone up at a particular window and almost immediately a light came on.

The window opened and a young man in his mid twenties with pinned up, bleached white, shoulder length hair shoved his head out. "I KEEP TELLING YOU FUCKING KIDS- oh. Hello darling, what are you doing here?"

"Hey, Yuu." She cut the referee off from the ground 4 stories below and a kind smile slowly appeared on his face. "I brought drinks."

* * *

"You know you gotta apologize, right?" She was sitting on his windowsill at the fire escape while he leaned on his elbows next to her.

She took another drink and glared out at the night sky as her head spun, "Yeah. I know. I was gonna anyway. I jus'… don't wanna."

"Awww, is our little panther embarrassed?"

She laughed and shoved him, "Shut the fuck up, Yuuto. You can't talk to me like that." Her speech was slurring and louder than usual, which endlessly amused her friend.

"Ha, and why not? The drink finally gettin' to ya?"

She poked his shoulder with each word, "Because I made you, dickwad."

"As you never cease to remind me." He looked at her and smiled, "I almost miss those good old days."

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah that was the best 3 an' a half months of my life. I loved getting beaten to a bloody pulp every night jus' so you could make a few bucks. Fuckin' fantastic."

"Hey, it worked out in the end."

"Did it though?"

"Don't be like that, I keep telling you if you need anything I've got your back. I mean look at this place," she peered into the dimly lit living room of his home. It was beautiful and warm and big and _his_ , "I'm off the streets because of you and yet you turn me down every damn time I try to help you out. You know the day I got this place I made a spare bed for you, and it's just been sitting there collecting dust. Literally. I had to dust it off last week. Like with a duster. You don't think it's worked out for you because you won't let it."

"Things don't work out 'cuz I fuck 'em up," she almost snapped, but in catching herself it ended up sounding like she was whining. Drunk whining. Can't get much better than that.

"Yeah, and then you sit around complaining instead of apologizing and fixing things." He gave her a pointed look and she laughed without humor.

"An' they say you aren't nice to me," she redirected the look right back at him.

"I'm serious, honey. You care about these guys, I haven't been your very best friend in the whole wide world for the last year without being able to see that."

"Yeah yeah yeah yeah don't push your luck here snakeboy."

"Ho, I wore those shoes one time."

"Yeah an' it was the worst day I had _ever_ spent with you." He glared at her as she almost spilled beer on his carpet through the window.

"You're exaggerating."

"People thoughtchu were my pimp, Yuuto."

"They did not!"

"A random sleazebag walked right up to you an' asked, an' I _quote_ , 'how much she goin' for'. You were there you should _probably_ remember that."

"He was talking about your fighting stats, dummy. Plus, you're drunk, you probably don't even remember it."

"I'm the dummy here. Right. You got me." The cat that had followed her up the fire escape meowed angrily that there was no room on the windowsill for it. She frowned at it like she had never seen it before.

"And you got a _pet_ without telling me?! It's like I don't even know you anymore." He dramatically stood and pretended to leave.

"Hey, c'mon come back this jus' happened and it's not my pet."

" _She,_ Akane. She's not your pet."

"You really shouldn't be invading _her_ privacy like that, pervert."

"Oh please, you know I don't go for that."

"Yeah thank _god_ the fucking cat doesn't have a dick or you'd be all over it."

" _Akane!_ "

She laughed and held up her hands in surrender, but quickly grabbed onto the ledge when he pretended to push her out the window, which she almost _did_ , and proceeded to place the cat where he had previously been leaning. The animal started purring again and began to happily groom itself next to her.

"Well she seems to look pretty attached to you. She might not be yours but it's starting to look like you're hers."

"I can't take a cat back to th' bar, Yuu." She frowned at it, looking very concerned out of nowhere.

"And you're gonna stop her… how?"

She shrugged, "Lockin' her in your living room and giving you the gift of a new best friend?"

"Of all the things… you really expect me to take care of a stray cat for you?"

"Well technically she wouldn't be a stray anymore, would she? And you were jus' sayin' how much you were lookin' forward to doin' me favors."

"I thought you didn't care about her."

"I never said that, I jus' said she didn't belong to me."

He sighed defeatedly before he, too, gave in to her, "And she never will if you don't give her a name."

"So you'll hold onto her for me?!" Her eyes lit up in excitement. As cool as she was trying to play it off, she had always wanted a pet. And she more or less trusted Yuuto, at least enough to take care of an animal. Plus, it would give her an excuse to visit him more often. She enjoyed the time they spent together that wasn't, well, _business_ related. He was funny and she liked not having to worry about him hitting on her.

He rolled his eyes and pretended to surrender, "Only if you name the damn thing."

"Ok… uh…" she looked around for some kind of inspiration, "Tsuki?" The cat meowed.

"Creative."

"You- you're the one who put me on the spot like that." Suddenly though she heard some noise in the distance and held up a finger to tell Yuuto not to speak. Somehow she didn't fall off the ledge at the swift turning motion. Even so, he knew to listen when she got serious, and she most certainly was. Now she just had to keep from laughing at his face. So serious. So so serious. And she was so so drunk.

There. In the distance she heard her name. "You hear that?" She whisper-yelled comically, and he nodded his affirmation. She relaxed when the voices got closer and she finally recognized the silhouettes wandering through the darkness.

 _Of course he'd follow me all the way out here._

She shook her head to try and gain some common sense. "It's jus' Misaki- oh shit, I meant Yata. He doesn't like it when I call him that," she was still whisper yelling at him. "Don't tell him I called him that," she said this to Yuuto incredibly stoically and he had to nod without laughing. Truly an amazing feat.

Akane hopped onto the fire escape landing and wobbled on her feet, taking a moment to find her limited balance before turning back to him with a start.

"Oh yeah! Yuuto, I have a phone now. Like a cell phone with the camera and the lights and everything. Do you have a cell phone?"

"Yes, I have a phone Akane," he no longer bothered to hide his amusement.

"Can I have your phone code or number or whatever the fuck?"

He laughed, "Yeah of course babe, it's-"

"Wait wait wait I dunno how to do that…" She pulled out the phone and was hitting random buttons, but she was so dizzy she could barely even breath.

"Here here, hand it over. I can punch it in for you."

"Ok, but you have to give it back or Kusanagi will literally kill me, and then I'll haunt you forever or some shit," he laughed and nodded, and followed through with his word. She was about to leave, but turned to him one last time, "Yuuto. You can't tell anyone who I'm staying with, kay? Or they might not let me fight anymore and that would _suck_."

He nodded, "Sure thing, Homra can be our little secret. You gonna come by again soon to visit Tsuki?" She smiled and nodded enthusiastically, "And maybe next time you'll try the door?"

"No promises," and there she went, half running and half falling down the stairs to the people who had been searching for her. "Yataaaa, Rikio, I'm over here."

"Akane, what the fuck are you doing out here? Are you _drunk?!_ "

She laughed at Yata and almost fell over, all the grace and surefootedness that could usually be seen from her was now only a memory. "Fuck yeah I am, did you see what happened at the bar? It was _crazy_." He approached her carefully so she wouldn't try to run for whatever reason, and when he finally reached her she hugged him and his face went bright red. "You know you're my best friend, right?" When he didn't respond and only stood there stiffly she let go and held him at arm's length, intensely looking into his eyes. "Yata. You're my best friend. You have to know that, ok?"

"Ok ok, yeah I know, you're my best friend too now let go of me!" He finally spoke when she started lightly shaking him by the shoulders, his face not bothering to do him a favor color-wise. "Let's get you home, ok?"

She nodded happily and took them both by the arm like they were reenacting the Wizard of Oz.

"Bye, **honey**!" Yuuto called down from his window with thickly accented English and she could see Tsuki in his hands when she let go of Rikio to wave.

"Byyyyeeeee!" She yelled back and then proceeded to pull her escorts back in the direction of her new home.

"Who was that?" Yata kept trying to get a look at the older man over his shoulder, but he couldn't with the dim lighting and the girl basically dragging him along towards the street.

"Just a friend," she said happily. And that was the only explanation she bothered to give. He didn't bother to push for more while she was in this condition. If she didn't want to share it was probably for a reason and he didn't want to trigger a breakdown. She was fragile despite every effort she made to prove otherwise. Plus, he felt in a way that asking her questions just then would have been taking advantage of her inebriated state.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder… was the girl beside him the same as the one he had fallen for two years ago? How much of her life had he missed?

He hoped it didn't matter, and regardless he would do everything in his power to make sure he was there for the rest of it.

* * *

 **A/N: Ha well how was that for a plot twist? I'm glad I was finally able to work Yuuto back in too, I love his character so much so I'm trying to find ways to make him a little more prominent. What do you guys think of him? And she's got a cat now I couldn't resist haha**

 **Thank you all for the wonderful comments, I love them so much!**

 **From Red: Watching the anime, reading the manga, i've been thinking about this... What Akane said to Yata about how they are acting with Mikoto, it's so true. Some people love to be worshiped, but the King ain't one of them... And that's probably the first step towars the Mikane relationship.**  
 **Im chearing for you Akane... You go girl :)**

 **\- It's so cool that you picked up on that! I was hoping someone would haha... and yeah I think that's a really huge part of their whole dynamic in general, Mikane aside**

 **From Josh082901: I loved your kproject story soo much... i have to say it was one of my favorites out of the hundreds ive read! your so descriptive with your writing and the flow of your story was consistent. Im also a writer my self and ive wrote multiple kproject stories but for some reason out of the twenty I wrote I cant find the write story. I can't wait till you post another chapter!**

 **-Aw, thank you so much! Here's that chapter you were waiting for :) Just keep working at it, start with a simple idea and don't rush into building on it, this overall storyline took me over a year to come up with and I'm still always changing it. Don't give up, I'd love to read some of it sometime!**

 **From QueenOfEpic: I just breezed through this in like 2 hours during a 3am insomnia attack. I love how things are developing so far! I can't wait to see more!**

 **-Ewwwww insomnia, ugh I know how that is. So many late nights just binge reading and watching stuff. It sucks but at the same time it's kind of satisfying? Anyway, I'm really happy that you chose to fill some of your time with my story :)**

 **Alright anyway, I'm working on the next chapter, sorry I kept putting off posting this one. Until next time, don't forget to comment! Luv y'allsss**

 **-TFT, High schoool graduate in less than 3 weeks mwahahahha**

 **P.S. Tsuki means moon *wink wonk***


	16. Chapter 16: Gilded Gunshots

16

"Akane, let go of him."

"No!"

" _AKANE!_ Go inside!"

"You're not the boss of me, Yata!"

"I am when you're hammered, c'mon let go of him and go to bed. I wanna go home."

"Rikio, how about you? Do you want me to go too?"

"Uh-"

"See, he's fine with it!"

"Don't you have a job to go to tomorrow?"

"Fuck. You right you right," she finally hopped back to the ground from her perch on Rikio's back. A few blocks away she had _insisted_ on him letting her hitch a ride and honestly she was such a slow walker at the moment that they were about to drag her back to Homra anyway. Wobbly steps carried her to the door but Yata stopped her before she could stumble in.

"Hey, wait." He walked up to her, and spoke softly out of Kamamoto's earshot. "Are you ok?"

She laughed dryly, "What do you think? I'm fuckin' peachy." Akane saw the worry in his eyes and his expression from earlier, when she had nearly turned on him, flashed in her mind. "I'm sorry. For earlier. I kinda lost my shit."

"I don't give a fuck about that. I was just…" he trailed off and she gave him a weird look.

"Just what?"

"I was worried that you were hurt. Mikoto-san doesn't usually go out of his way to do stuff like that, so I thought something had gone really wrong." She felt a tightening in her chest at that and screamed at herself for how hot her face suddenly felt.

"Oh. Well. I guess he just doesn't know I can take care of myself." Yata shrugged. "I'm gonna go inside. I'm gonna have a crazy fucking hangover for work tomorrow."

He nodded, "Well it's your own damn fault. Hey…" he stopped her again as she was about to open the door, "You're not gonna run off on us, right?"

She tried to return the kindest smile she could muster, then gave up and hugged him again. As desperately as she honestly wanted to, she had a promise to keep. "Not yet," she whispered jokingly and went inside without letting him stop her again.

The light was on and it bathed the room in warmth. She squinted slightly at the brightness and almost fell over before even taking a step.

"Fucking _hell_ ," she whisper yelled, trying not to disturb the man who always seemed to be present in the room.

"You're back late." She winced at the sound of his voice and leaned on a nearby chair so she could talk to him without collapsing.

"Mikoto…" she stopped as though she didn't know what to say. She did but for some reason she was finding it incredibly difficult to focus on it at the moment.

 _I wonder if his hair is soft… wait what the fuck? Focus. Stop it. Stupid brain. You're drunk get your shit together._

"Are you ok?" She was surprised to see the trace of worry in his eyes as he asked her the simple but powerful question. If everyone ended up asking her someone would probably get punched in the face though. He ran his hand through his hair and looked away, "Did he hurt you?"

Worry turned to mild panic as he heard sniffling from the other side of the room, and Akane began laughing at herself as she wiped tears from her eyes. "I don't- no but- ah why can't I _stop?!_ " He gave her a minute to stop crying and compose herself, trying not to show that he was fighting himself from going to comfort her. That just wasn't like him, it wouldn't make sense. He couldn't. Why would he want to? She was just a responsibility. At least that's what he would tell himself.

She laughed at herself as the tears finally stopped. "Sorry haha- I'm," she stopped and looked at him with a serious expression, "I'm really sorry. For earlier. I don't know what happened, I just- I exploded." She was obviously uncomfortable in this situation, used to not having to explain herself to people. "Thank you for helping me. I don't know what would've happened otherwise."

"Did something happen to you?"

"Huh?"

"People are quicker to anger when it's personal."

"Oh. Um. Yeah." She shuddered at one of her many painful memories, "It was a while ago."

Silence.

"I forgive you." He spoke to break the silence a few moments later, and she smiled at him lopsidedly, wiping away the last ghosts of tears from her eyes. Apparently forgetting the previous conversation she fell to sit at the couch beside him, with his arm up against the back behind her, and consequently around her, a little too close for his personal comfort. But he smelled the booze on her breath so he let it go with a lighthearted roll of his eyes. She wouldn't be remembering any of this in the morning. He tried to ignore the heat coming off her body or, despite the undertones of alcohol, how good she still smelled. Because that was just ridiculous. Those thoughts were for children, not Kings.

Akane began laughing a dry, sarcastic laugh. "I don't understand why I reacted so harshly though I mean," she continued to laugh, "after all the people I've killed you'd think-" She froze. "Shit. I wasn't supposed to say that, was I?" She began to panic at how he suddenly tensed and looked at her in disbelief. Not quite expressive enough for shock, but getting there.

She was unstable. He knew that. She had bad habits, but killing anyone? He couldn't imagine her doing that even with all the jokes everyone made. She cared too much about, well, everything. She wasn't some psychopath on a tv show, so the simple statement couldn't possibly click in his mind. He was the killer here, not her. He burned people alive with barely a glance. Not her. She was just drunk.

"Can we just um- you know- forget I said that?" He nodded slowly, just slightly more pale than he had been a moment ago. They sat in awkward silence and the time ticked by before she, again, broke it. "You know, you're a lot nicer than I thought you would be when we first met. And after just hearing things about you when I was out… there." She waved a hand towards the window, gesturing to the streets.

"No I'm not." He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, trying to cast her previous comment out of his mind.

"Uh, yeah you are. Trust me."

"Why?"

"Because I haven't stabbed you in the back yet? I don't fuckin' know how trust works just do it."

He chuckled, "No, why do you say I'm nice?" He knew he wasn't. He was many things but 'nice' had never been one of them.

She shrugged, "I dunno, you're just always here to talk to. And you have kind eyes." He smiled as she started to drunkenly ramble absolute nonsense, "And I dunno, I shouldn't have to explain myself to you, you're just never mean to me and you smell nice and you listen and shit and like you have weird porcupine hair."

"And all those make me _nice_?" At this point he decided to just play along, whatever made her happy. She nodded very seriously and he had to hold back a laugh.

"Yeah especially the hair," she turned and hesitantly held her hand over it like it would poke her before lightly patting the tips that were sticking up in the air. It was a lot softer than she had expected.

He sighed and gently grabbed her wrist, "Stop that."

She frowned and he could see her thoughts of rebellion from a mile away. "No," she started doing it with her other hand and he had to catch that wrist too.

"Akane, don't."

"Why not?"

Their eyes met and they realized how close they were now. Akane was sitting on her feet so they were almost eye to eye, her face barely a foot away from his. She swallowed nervously and noticed an anxious feeling building in her stomach while her heart began to beat at twice its normal rate.

"Because there will be consequences." Neither of them noticed that his voice had faded to a whisper. Somehow they were even closer. And closer.

"What kind of consequences?" She whispered back. They were barely a couple of inches apart. He could taste the alcohol on her breath and see the fractals of grey ice in her eyes. She could detect the faint scent of cigarettes and heat that followed him around and she was intoxicated by it.

Her eyes fluttered shut as they became even impossibly closer, their lips only barely separate from each other.

"Mikoto?" Akane jumped back with a start and nearly fell off the couch, and Mikoto instantly let go of her wrists. The cold air filled in and built an impenetrable wall between them.

Anna stood at the bottom of the stairs rubbing her eyes sleepily. She must've been waiting for him and to make sure Akane had come home safely. The girls had become closer and were even friends by this point. It's only natural Anna would have been worried that the 19 year old hadn't made it back with the rest of them.

Akane cleared her throat and immediately stood and headed for the stairs.

"Akane," Mikoto tried to get her to stop, but it didn't work. She only patted Anna's head without slowing and dashed to her room in the blink of an eye.

Once out of sight and safely concealed by the darkness of her unlit room, the girl fell to the ground, sitting with her back against the door. She couldn't see anything in the room, but it hardly mattered, she wouldn't have noticed anyway. She brought her knees up to her chest and cradled her head in them with her hands behind her neck. She couldn't slow her breath, her pounding heart. "I can't do this," she whispered.

She couldn't stop the spinning and suddenly all the events of the night hit her like a high-speed locomotive. She had managed to remain relatively disconnected from everything up to this point, but she couldn't hold back the flood any longer. Tears fell to her knees, and she watched them for a moment before suddenly burying her face in her arms and breaking into sobs.

* * *

 _She wasn't quite sure how she had gotten there, but at least it was safe. It was silent. It stopped the pain._

 _Well, stopped may have been an exaggeration but it certainly didn't add to it. She could finally breathe semi normally again, and she was starting to work through ignoring the throbbing in her temple, and now along various other locations of her body._

 _She looked over at the bag and peered at the money inside before punching the ground in fury._

" _Dammit dammit DAMMIT!" She screamed at nothing in particular before hugging the bag to her and sitting in absolute silence save for the sound of her own breath. Tears left behind clean tracks on her dirtied cheeks as they cascaded to the ground._

" _Bad day?" She didn't even jump in surprise anymore, her reflexes kicked in too quickly, and the man at the end of the alleyway couldn't even finish his statement before she had a knife pointed at him._

" _Worse for you, fuck off buddy." She couldn't quite make out his face, but he had a deep, intimidating voice and she could tell by his silhouette that he had a thin but powerful body. The shadow held his hands up in mock surrender. "What do you want?" The knife remained between them._

" _Calm down, I'm here to help you. I saw what you did back there and I think you've got some real potential."_

 _She rolled her eyes in exasperation and put the blade down, then got to her feet to take a defensive stance._

" _I take it you're from the Oval Office?" It was the term Yuuto had coined for the balcony where all the top tier bettors watched the chaos below in the night fights. He thought it was funny. She thought she deserved the credit for having come up with it._

 _A low chuckle echoed through the alley, "Yes. I am."_

" _And why the hell do you want to help me?"_

 _He shrugged, "I think we could help each other out, that's all."_

 _She scoffed, "Please. Look, if you're looking for a hooker or something you can keep on walking, there's a place down the street."_

 _There was that terrifying laugh again. It made her hair stand on end and she had the urge to bolt. "No no, not that. I know you can be so much more than something so… primitive. I'm offering you a place to stay. A bed to sleep in, you won't have to worry about finding food, and I've got people who'll train you to refine your, well,_ art."

 _She narrowed her eyes, but didn't move. His offer was enticing to say the least. But something was off with him. Something wasn't right._

" _And what do you want from me?"_

 _A shrug, "Company." She thought about getting the knife back out. "And someone when I need them. You see, I've got a lot of people to look over and sometimes they can cause some trouble. All I need is someone to…" he paused in thought, "Step in when they've maybe gone a little too far. That's all."_

" _Sounds like all you need is a security guard, not a bloodthirsty kid."_

" _Kid? You don't seem like much of a kid to me. And it's a little more than that. You'll gain their respect, my power, you'll be unstoppable, so long as I can count on you to help me out with some of the_ dirtier _tasks of my day to day life." A light laugh, "I can promise you it will be anything but boring. Oh, and if that isn't enough to convince you," he paused and if he hadn't been hiding in the darkness she would have seen his eyes flicker to her bag on the ground, "I'll purchase your meds from the old coot down the street."_

 _He could tell that she was sold. They were expensive and she couldn't keep up with her current life. She couldn't keep fighting. She simply wasn't physically strong enough, she wasn't skilled enough for it yet, but pickpocketing hadn't been able to cut it either. That's why she had left them too._

" _What's your name, love?"_

Name name, I need a name. I can't tell him who I really am, but what- oh. Duh.

" _Hyoshu."_

" _Hyoshu…" He trailed off, waiting for a surname._

" _Just Hyoshu." She couldn't see his smile._

" _That'll do." He held out his hand and stepped into the light. The man had short, almost orange hair with the tips of his bangs bleached to a near white. He wore a simple black suit over his muscular form and he carried a kind of menacing power with him. One of lethal cunning. He was dangerous and if she got caught up with him now, Akane knew she would never be able to go back. "Michael Furutani." His nearly black eyes flashed like a predator preparing to make a final kill. "We'll do great things together, I know it."_

 _She grasped his hand in a promise that would continue to break her for years to come._

* * *

Akane jumped awake in a cold sweat when her alarm went off. She nearly broke it in a sudden surge of anger triggered by the current situation.

 _That dream again…_

She had been having the same nightmare at least three or four times a week for the last month. It was the only one she had since moving into bar Homra about 6 weeks ago. Meeting him. It just kept replaying in her head, but not like her usual panic inducing flashbacks. And each time it became more vibrant, more terrifying. Like it was trying to warn her of something. But what?

The girl quickly got dressed for her job, which at first she thought would be a lot more fun than it turned out. Sure, performances got her blood pumping and put a smile on her face, especially since Hinata finally got a gauge on her personality and skill set, assigning her songs that matched her personality and passion. But in between that it was just waiting tables and dealing with people. Yeah. _Ew._

She tugged at the plain black skirt of the uniform, fussing over the way it fit her frame. She stopped in surprised confusion at this simple action. No one had known her to fuss over her appearance. It was a staple part of her _strong_ personality.

 _Why should I care anyway?_

A nagging voice in the back of her mind reminded her of what had taken place a few weeks ago. That night. When she came home drunk and almost kissed-

 _Ugh, STOP IT! Just fucking forget about it already. I was just drunk and_ me _that's it._

But the damage was done. Her face burned and she aggravatedly mussed up her hair. She glared at the angry face looking back through the mirror and stormed out of the room.

She wasn't even down the stairs before she heard Tatara's cheerful voice call up to her, "Akane, I made you some breakfast!"

"Thanks, Tatara, you didn't have to." The plate with toast and jam on the end of the bar came into view and she happily grabbed one of the pieces. Then her heart doubled its pace and her stomach tried to climb out of her throat in anxiety as she saw that Mikoto had apparently been waiting a couple seats away to speak with her.

"Akane-"

She cut him off, "Sorry, I can't talk right now I'm gonna be late, bye guys!" The girl waved behind her and made a mad dash for the exit.

"Don't-" His voice held undertones of warning and anger, which she ignored and continued to force the door behind her as she stepped out of the building.

Tatara looked at him in surprise, not used to seeing that kind of behavior from her, "What did you do to her?"

The King ran an agitated hand through his hair, "It wasn't my fault." The younger man raised an eyebrow but his mentor said nothing more.

It was true. She had been avoiding him. Ever since that night she had barely spoken a word to him and stopped coming downstairs at night. She knew he had noticed and lately he had been trying to ambush her. But she just did _not_ want to talk to him after that for whatever reason. She didn't know if it was humiliation or what, but every time he was near she panicked and couldn't stop herself from bolting, coming up with ridiculous excuses to keep from having any direct contact.

She tried taking a bite of toast but her stomach was in knots. She made a face at the offending bread and threw it in the nearest trash can.

 _Sorry Tatara, it's nothing personal._

To be honest, she didn't have to leave for another 20 minutes. She always gave herself a huge time cushion in case she slept through her alarm or one of her new friends insisted on stalling her. It was a trick she had to learn _incredibly_ quickly. Especially with Tatara always around.

Standing in the middle of the street like a lost child, she began to spin in slow circles, looking for something to pass the time. A shiver ran up her spine. Something out her was giving her the creeps. The sun was out and there were hardly any people around, but it seemed as though something was creeping up on her. She decided that going to work early would have to do.

A late train and traffic accident later, and she was standing in front of the Flintlock Candle. Late.

"The one fucking day I leave early…" She pulled her jacket closer around her and walked through the doors.

 _Maybe they won't notice?_

"Akane, nice of you to show up!" She winced.

"Hey, Ms. Hina, how's it goin'?"

The older woman scoffed, "It'll be better when you get to work. And honey, I'm sorry but you're the last one here so guess who's got closing duty?"

She sighed, "Yeah, got it. I deserve that."

 _Today is gonna be just fantastic, I can already tell._

* * *

She waved goodbye to the last of her coworkers as they left for the day. The place was always closed for an hour or two before the night time party club shift began, something that none of them were on call for. Akane glanced warily out the window at the darkness looming outside. Usually she was done a couple hours before nightfall, reaching her home long before the sun set and shadows followed. But then again she had never been late before. Not this late, anyway.

The large rooms of the restaurant loomed in on her as she shut the lights off. One by one. Only to be greeted by more darkness of the moon.

The wary feeling that had been following her all day was now stronger than ever. She tried to shove it down as she walked to the subway, not even sure when the next train was, but it soon overpowered her. The fear that it plunged into her heart for no apparent reason was unsurmountable.

That was when she finally swallowed her pride and reached for her phone.

* * *

Noise filled the bar and everyone surrounded Yata and Tatara, the former once again trying to teach the latter how to perform a kickflip on his beloved skateboard. The usual antics as they all simply passed the time, unknowingly waiting for their newest member to return.

"She should be back by now."

"I'm sure she just had to work late today, she did say she was late this morning and you know her boss's policies." Kusanagi tried to force back a smile, "It's not like you to worry, Mikoto."

He shrugged, "She's been annoying me."

"From the looks of it, she's been avoiding you."

"Exactly."

"Something happened between you two, didn't it?"

"It was nothing, she's just…"

"What?"

"Dramatic."

The bar owner's phone began to ring and he checked the caller ID. "Well, speak of our little devil." He wasted no time picking up, "Akane? Is everything ok?" He waved frantically at everyone, and once Yata heard his friend's name he also worked to shush them so that Kusanagi could hear. None of them could make out her words but they could hear the muffled sound of her voice, the tone of it. She seemed anxious, or nervous about something. Maybe even a little frantic.

" _Hey boss, sorry to bother you. You guys in the middle of something?"_

"No, nothing. Is something wrong? You sound a little shaken."

" _Um I- I don't know."_ His brow furrowed and everyone who noticed tried to listen in, to no avail. Worried faces scattered throughout the room. " _I'm just having a really bad feeling right now, I'm kinda freaking out a little. I tried calling Yata but he didn't pick up. I just- I kinda feel like I'm being watched or something? I don't know if it's just me but I can't shake it and-"_

"Woah, woah, slow down. Did you want me to send him over to meet you at the subway? They keep the lights on in there so you can wait." He looked up at Yata and motioned towards the door, the boy nodding in affirmation and starting to look for where he had left his jacket.

" _Could you? That would be great, I'm sorry to bother you guys like this I- AHK!"_ Her sudden shriek made them all jump and they began to call out to her to find out what had happened. Maybe she had just tripped or something.

"Akane?!" Kusanagi tried to yell over the others.

" _Let go of me, you LOUSY SON OF A BI-!"_ She was cut off by something trying to stifle her cries. It sounded as though she was far away, so she had probably dropped the phone. And she definitely didn't trip. The call ended.

"Yata!" But he was already sprinting out the door, the rest of Homra on his tail and the King and bar owner not far behind.

* * *

She tried to scream in fury through the hand over her mouth, attempting to find something to bite if she could. Her vision turned red as she struggled and lunged at the other mystery man who ended her call.

 _With any luck Kusanagi got the point. He's gonna be pissed._

The two had shoved her through the door of a dimly lit, empty room. She couldn't see through the doorways connected to the other parts of the building, but she doubted they were alone.

 _ **You know them.**_

 _No I don't, what are you even talking about?_

 _ **They know who they're messing with.**_

 _ **They should know what's coming you have to end this.**_

 _ **End it.**_

 _ **End this quickly so we can go home. I'm hungry.**_

 _ **Just kill them. They'll never bother you again.**_

She stopped struggling, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She had to get a hold of herself. She couldn't let there be another bloodbath.

At the sudden lack of motion, the guy holding her removed his hand from her face. No one said anything. Lights from a car driving by outside cast maddening shadows over the walls. There were windows everywhere, but they were so old and cloudy that there was no doubt that no one could see in. Or out.

"Ok, you got me. Congrats. Now who the fuck sent you?" They said nothing.

Footsteps sounded and a heavyset man with a receding hairline and lit cigar in hand strolled in. Anyone else would have cowered in fear or shut up, waiting for instruction. Akane began to laugh.

 _Oh, that's why they look so familiar! Can't believe I got so worked up over this bull._

"Haha, oh my god it's dickface guy! How ya doin' pal? I can see the sharpie finally rubbed off." She tried to turn to speak to the man behind her. "How long did he have to wear makeup to try to cover it up? Psh could you imagine him going into Sephora or something and having to swatch _concealer_ on his _face penis_?!" The object of her jokes went bright red in the face and he nodded angrily to the man with her phone as she laughed hysterically. The sound was replaced with intense coughing and a desperate attempt to catch her breath when she was suddenly punched in the stomach. Her voice was weaker this time, "Aw, you're just mad cuz you know I'm right. Plus, that's what you get for sleeping on the job."

He ignored her. "You have a nasty talent at stirring up trouble, kid. I need it back. The thing you stole. My… _supplier_ seems to be rather upset by it."

She regained some composure, and with it a confused expression. "I didn't take anything though. I wanted to but you didn't have what I was looking for, so I decided just to mess up your face. And even if you did have it," her voice turned threatening, "you stole it first, I just wanted my goddam property back."

He took a long breath from the cigar and proceeded to hand it off to one of her assailants before approaching her. The slap came first and she felt a small cut on her cheek open up, and he grabbed her by the collar of her shirt. She winced at the smell of his breath.

"Look, you lying little bitch, tell me where the gun is or I'll burn down everything you care about."

Her mind flickered to Homra and she scoffed, "Well you let me know how that goes. Just a tip though, fire might not be your best bet. And besides, asshat, I don't _do_ guns anymore. Wait," she looked at him incredulously, "All this is over _one_ stupid weapon? What, was it the fuckin' Queen's or something?!"

He dropped her and muttered something about crazy people under his breath. "Please, I know about your little _toy_. Suzuki moved that nightmare to his private stash months ago. And normally I'd agree, it's quite a big fuss over a simple handgun, but this isn't really about the weapon, and you know it. The big boss probably would've let it slide if it hadn't been _you_ who stole it, _Hyoshu_."

She glared up at him from where she lay on the ground, testing pain in her swiftly swelling cheek.

"Mr. Furutani sends his regards, by the way. And I'm sure he'll be happy to hear that you've been disposed of."

 _Shit. Sometimes I really hate my weird intuition. I thought he was done with me already._

"Oh of course you're working for that- wait. What?" An ostentatious, golden handgun appeared and she gazed down the barrel to her wannabe murderer.

"Don't worry, we'll find a lovely little ditch for your buddies to find you in later." He pulled back the hammer and a satisfying click sounded. "I'll enjoy having you off my fucking back."

Her bored, impatient face only fuelled his malice. "Mhm. I bet you will. C'mon, do your worst, big guy."

He snarled, "You crazy ass bitch."

He pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened.

He looked at the gun in astonishment and tried pulling the trigger a couple more times just in case as she broke out in laughter. "Ha, dude, you're face!" She held up her hand, and in it was an unsuspecting black rectangle. "Whoops, looks like _someone_ got your magazine while you were busy giving up all your intel."

His face turned a furious bright red. " _SOMEONE KILL HER!"_

 _ **Did you miss me, darling?**_

 _Not even a little._

And everything broke into chaos.

* * *

They heard the gunshot from 3 blocks away and began to run even faster, pushing themselves as they closed in on the building that Akane's phone tracker had indicated before the device was shut off.

2 blocks away. More shots sounded. They could finally see the foggy windows of their destination.

1 block. Someone from inside screamed, and everything was quiet.

Yata burst through the doors, baseball bat ready to strike, the rest of Homra not far behind. "AKANE!" He had expected the worst. He had expected to find her left in a bloodied pile in the middle of the room. He wasn't sure if what he had found was better or worse.

There she sat, in the middle of the room, obviously waiting for them. In one hand she lazily held her cellphone, apparently having been able to retrieve it without so much as a scratch, and in the other was a cigar, still lit. The smoke gently poured out of her mouth like dragon's breath as she waved at him.

"Hey Yata, took you long enough." It was terrifying how normal she looked, sitting upon the unconscious, or so he hoped, body of a large man with specks of red painting the floor around him. His face was bloodied and his hands sat at awkward angles. There was a large, bloody gash on the side of his head. A few feet away, a ridiculous golden gun sat on the ground with a crimson-stained hilt. 2 more bodies lay unconscious in the room. One, by the window, was collecting a pool of blood under his legs and had a nose that seemed to now have an unnatural bend. The last one still had his (less obnoxious) gun in hand. His other arm was bent in the wrong direction and a lump was building on his forehead.

"What the hell happened here?" His eyes wandered around the dim room in order to try to make sense of what he was seeing. "We thought we heard you screaming!"

"Oh, that was dickface here." She patted the larger man's chest. "I broke his wrists."

"What?"

She stood up with a major wince as some more of the guys filed in, inspecting the scene. A couple spun in incredulous circles.

"Here, I'll introduce you!" She was way too excited for the current situation and any hint of the worried voice they had heard over the phone was completely obliterated. "Dickface, Homra, Homra, this is Dickface."

"Akane, what the fuck are you talking about?"

She became a little more stern. "Remember the guys who were chasing me when I first ran into you?" Tatara's face drained of a little color, clearly not enjoying reliving the moment when they all though she would end up drowning in her own blood on the city sidewalk. She pointed to the thugs' leader, "That's their boss."

 _Sort of. But I can't tell them that. Not yet._

"But how…"

"I told you guys, I know how to take care of myself, ok? Let's just go," She knew they hardly ever pushed it when she made it obvious that she didn't want to talk about a certain topic. Whether that was because they didn't know her well enough or if they just didn't care, she had no idea. But she did know how to use it to her advantage. Guilt took a backseat when it came to prioritizing and disclosing certain information.

"Thank god you called when you did, though. Something could have gone terribly wrong and we might've not even known." Yata's face went completely pale.

"Aw, you almost sound like you were worried about me, boss."

"Well no one else is gonna help me sweep the floors," he teased her and motioned them all out the door, leaving her would-be killers for dead. Or at least an incredibly uncomfortable wake-up. At the last second she turned back and strolled over to the gilded weapon sitting on the floor. It took hardly a moment to wipe off the specks of gore on the nearest man's shirt and to hide it in her jacket pocket.

"I don't think you'll mind if I take this off your pudgy little hands for a while."

When she stepped out into the fresh air, everyone was already quite a bit ahead, quieter than usual out of sheer relief that everything ended up being okay. Their definition of okay, anyway.

"This seems to be a trend with you." She jumped. Mikoto was waiting a few feet away, leaning against the faded yellow window and casually smoking a cigarette.

"Sorry. I'll just-" Akane turned to run and catch up with the others. She really hadn't thought the King would have left with everyone else.

"Run away again?" He could see her visibly tense as she froze.

 _Shit. No more excuses._

"I don't know what you're talking about."

It almost looked like he was going to start laughing at her, "You've barely spent 5 seconds in the same room as me for the past month. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"That was- I was just- Uhh-"

"Running."

She shrugged as he stopped in front of her and stomped out his light with his hands in his pocket. "You've been avoiding me."

"You better be careful, you almost sound like you miss me."

 _Maybe if I can embarrass him he'll back off?_

He took a step closer and smirked, "And if I did?"

 _ABORT ABORT THAT DID NOT WORK DEFINITELY DID. NOT. WORK._

She tried to put on a brave face and took a step back. "Then you're even crazier than I am." She refused to make eye contact. "Look, I'm sorry for avoiding you. I just felt awkward and didn't know what to do, so if you're _reaaaally_ that obsessed with me then can we just forget that whole thing happened and go back to being friends?"

"Fine by me," he nonchalantly patted her on the head and began the walk back home.

She tried to swat his hand away, "Don't do that."

"You did it first."

Her face went bright red, "I was _drunk_ , you jerk!" Someone at the back of the group ahead of them turned around with a questioning look, but she waved them off. "Is this gonna be a thing now?"

"Is my 'porcupine hair' a thing now?"

"Mikoto I swear to god you better shut up about that if you don't wanna wake up bald."

He chuckled, "Ok, you win. I'll stop."

"Yeah that's what I thought." They walked in silence for a moment. She was suddenly uncharacteristically lost in thought, but eventually came to a conclusion with her internal struggles before looking over at him. Their eyes met for the first time in weeks. "You tired?" A crease formed in his brow before he shook his head. "Good." She smiled and picked up her pace to catch up with the others, "Then I'll have someone to talk to when I get back."

"Get back?"

But she was already long gone. "Yata! Hold on a sec, c'mere."

"What's up, Akane? Something wrong?"

She gave an exasperated sigh, "Why does something always have to be- Ugh, no, I was just wondering if you were up for starting some trouble." She beamed at him in that deceptively angelic way of hers and he was instantly suspicious and a healthy dose of nauseous.

"What kind of trouble?"

* * *

 **A/N: Oof anGST. I graduated high school! I've kinda been on a summer high so that's why this kinda took a while whoops. But also now I've got nothing to do so maybe that'll help? I know I know stop getting your hopes up sorryyyyy but it's kinda what I do.**

 **Also, since I only had one comment this last chapter I've decided to hold off on responding till I've got a couple built up.**

 **Anyway, until next time! Maybe I'll be a college student by then ;p**

 **-TFT, literally living between Mikane moments**


	17. Chapter 17: Pandora's Box

17

Two teenagers stood in the flickering light of a nondescript city sidewalk, long since abandoned by their previous company, a dozen strong. One was frantically tapping at the glowing screen of a cell phone while the other paced in frantic, frustrated circles, swinging a baseball bat around.

"Akane, what is going on?" Yata tried to keep from snapping in his aggravated state, only half succeeding. He was starting to get tired.

 _ **Don't.**_

 _ **Don't do it.**_

 _ **Stay ssssafe you're g-going to hurt yourselfff you're going t-t-to get k-killedkilledkilled.**_

His friend shushed him (and a few other things), much to his annoyance, and held the phone up to her ear, hoping for the other end to pick up.

 _Come on, please pick up. Don't fail me now._

 _ **Hang up.**_

 _ **Hang up quick.**_

 _ **You don't want to make this call.**_

 _ **You can't trust him he'll get you hurt.**_

 _ **You idiot. D-D-Do you want to end up i-in some back alley d-dumpster? Forg-g-gotten?**_

" _Yo, who is this?_ "

She snorted a laugh, "Yo? Really Yuu? What, you decided to be a cool kid all of the sudden?"

" _AKANE!_ " The ringmaster's sudden excitement made both her and Yata jump at the volume and sheer joy. Akane groaned at the newfound searing pain in her ear.

"Yuuto what the fuck, nothing I've done to you warrants that kind of excitement. Speaking of which…" she turned away from her friend to try to keep him from overhearing their conversation, "I need a favor."

" _Of course, baby, what's up?_ "

"Ew, don't call me that it's gross."

" _Aw I think it's cute._ "

"First of all, fuck you. Second of all, same difference. Now shut up and listen to me. You've got the attention span of a puppy on crack."

" _Ok ok, fine, I'll bite. What favor?_ "

"You remember that slimeball Takeshi Suzuki?"

" _Well sure, but I thought you cut off ties with him when-_ "

"Yeah, yeah I did," she cut him off and started speaking in a whisper. Paranoid over prying ears. "He stole something from me and I need it back."

" _Ohhh he got his mitts on your toy, didn't he?_ "

"What?! Why does everyone call it that, it's not-!" She caught herself before she started yelling, lowering her voice once again, "They're not toys, Yuuto. And yes, he took them from me. I don't know how he found them but he did and I need them back. Look," she gave an exasperated sigh, "I know you two are still in touch. Do you know of any secret stockpiles or a safe or something he might've kept them in?"

She heard an indecisive 'hmmm' on the other end of the line before the man spoke up again, " _I might. But uh- it'll cost you,_ " his tone was mischievous and it sent a shiver down her spine. Everything in her gut told her not to trust him, to hang up and tell him to forget she ever called. But her gut also knew he might be her only shot. And its annoying voice was really starting to get on her nerves.

 _ **Don't you dare.**_

 _ **Just let it go.**_

 _ **Please. Please I'm begging you, you're going to get hurt.**_

 _ **Do you really want to die that badly? Is your new life really so bad?**_

 _ **Don't do this. Shhhhhhhhh hang up you don't have to die to choke to wither.**_

 _ **You d-d-don't have to do thissssss.**_

 _Yes. Yes I do._

"Well shit… Fire away, you crazy bastard."

* * *

"Akane, what the hell is happening?" He followed a few paces behind her as they wove their way through the city streets. They had long since passed by where bar Homra stood and he was getting further and further away from figuring out what exactly it was they were doing. But she just continued to stalk ahead of him, head in the clouds. Or at least that's where he hoped it was.

 ** _Where are you taking him?!_**

 ** _Go home._**

 ** _This place is secret. It's safe. Send him away stay safe._**

 ** _You're going to die._**

 ** _You w-wanna get him k-k-killed too?!_**

"Akane!" He finally had to yell. Nothing else was breaking her trance, and he didn't want to face the reprisal of a physical attempt at snapping her back to reality. His head still hurt a little from the last time he tried that.

The distracted girl jumped back into his dimension with a start, wild, mildly confused eyes snapping to his. "Huh? Oh- oh!" She shook her head and the dazed expression faded, but she hesitated and some distressed anxiety seemed to return, "I guess you deserve to know the basics of it."

"Well you did drag me all the way out here, you idiot."

 ** _Shhhhhhh you don't need to tell him anything, love._**

 ** _That's right. Be quiet. Stay safe. Be quiet stay safe bequiet._**

 ** _You know we're r-r-right. Ssstop this c-c-craziness and go home._**

She quietly turned to face him in the middle of the dark alley, distant lighting casting strange shadows over the teen's faces. She nervously tugged at her sleeves. He wanted to take her wrists to keep her from fidgeting so much, tell her everything was alright. But he didn't know that. And he didn't think she would believe him either way. Instead he leaned on his bat, pretending not to notice.

"The um- the guys back there." She paused. "I can't… tell you everything. Homra pride aside for a second, these guys are dangerous and I don't want you to get hurt. So the less you know the better." She ignored his scowl, obviously trying to bite back harsh words, "I can't let you get hurt because of me." She said it quietly and the softness of her voice made any of his ill intentions fade. He looked away from her and she took a deep breath, trying to reclaim her nerves. "You remember, when I ran from the hospital, when you guys found me again?"

"Yeah," he bit out the word, biting his cheek at the anger of the memory, the heat that it sent through his veins. "I remember alright."

"That was their boss."

"You mean the weasel guy?! But I thought Tubby-"

 ** _Of course he did._**

 ** _Idiot._**

 ** _He's going to get us killed. He's going to get you killed._**

 ** _He's one of them don't trust him don't tell him. Don'tdon'tdon't._**

"Yeah, I know, it's confusing. This guy is the next rank up from the big guy. He's in charge of a lot of messed up shit so he has to delegate power, y'know?" Yata nodded seriously and pretended to know what delegate meant. "Anyway, he stole something from me. I-" pain flickered through her eyes, "I can't tell you what. Not yet. But it's really important to me and I need it back. He doesn't deserve to have it."

"You really care that much? Aside from that hunk o' wood back at the bar, you don't really think about shit that much."

"You mean material possessions?"

"Eh, you knew what I meant."

She smiled weakly, "Yeah. You're right. But I do care, so plea-"

"Alright, I'll help."

 ** _Good for himmm. He wants to watch us d-d-die._**

"Really?" She looked at him, bewildered. "But… you don't even know what it is."

 ** _Yes he does. Don't you see? He's one of them._**

 ** _He's going to betray you and you know it, stupid girl._**

"Doesn't matter. It seems like you care a whole lot about this thing, so I'll help you out." He threw his bat behind his head and slung his arms over it, proceeding to walk past her as if he could care less. "No one steals from my best friend on my watch and gets away with it."

She smiled and, for a moment, every trace of sadness disappeared, and she trotted after the one thing she knew she could never live without. The one thing that gave her the strength to cast all the doubtful screams out of her tirelessly noisy mind.

* * *

They entered a ghost of a building. Fractures ran across what remained of the walls and only shards of glass clung desperately to the dozens of window frames. In some places along the walls there were the remnants of old closets and other storage containers, now undoubtedly empty and filled with all kinds of was obvious evidence of drug use in the corners of the massive room, as well as mold climbing up the walls. In the background was the steady drip of an unknown liquid, the source hidden from view. Yata decided to try not to think about it, even though the echoes, the whole place sent his head spinning. Why would she take him here? Was she finally so sick of him that she was gonna kill him or something? He quickly dismissed the thought, scolding himself for the unsaid, unfunny joke.

"Home sweet home," Akane muttered, heading off towards the hidden floorboard.

"What?" He took an incredulous look around, "Akane… is this where you've been staying this whole time?" His wide eyes locked onto her back as she walked away from him.

She only shrugged without looking back, "Some of the time. But," she paused for a moment as she dragged the floor plate out of the way with a grunt, revealing a hole with a few various items in it. She continued, mildly out of breath, "I've got spots like this all across the city."

All across the city? He couldn't believe it. That she had to live like this. Scattered over a _city_. He couldn't imagine living in such a way, without a home or at least a surefire place to sleep at night without the worry of everything he had being stolen right from under him.

"Wipe that look off your face, bro." But here she was. Still the same. Still the same dangerous look in her eye and playful smirk on her lips. How could someone, after everything she had been through, still not change? But… what if she had? His mind shot back to about a month ago, when she had turned on him at that random bar. The drinking, the lies and secrets. Maybe she wasn't the same at all.

Maybe she was just putting on a damn good show for his sake.

"Could you hold this for a sec?" He snapped out of his trance as she held her jacket out to him impatiently. "C'monnnn we don't have all night I wanna get back soon so that- well. Let's just hurry up."

She tossed the jacket at him while he was still several feet away. "Thanks." He barely caught it, noticing that it had a strangely uncharacteristic weight to it.

And then she started unbuttoning her work uniform.

"AKANE, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!" She nearly jumped out of her skin at Yata's sudden outburst and glared at him, trying to catch her breath while he looked at her in horror.

"I've got clothes on under this, you idiot!" She smacked him over the head without holding back, and then changed into a simple white tank top and black denim shorts while he recovered from the sharp blow. She muttered angrily to herself under her breath as she pulled out the contents of a black backpack, replacing them with her uniform. It was immediately tossed back in the dark hole.

He still held her weirdly heavy jacket, finally able to recompose himself, and wandered over to see what she was doing. Her first step, to his surprise, was to use a long red ribbon to tie up her hair in a high ponytail. She kept her back to him, not offering any explanations, and he tried not to stare at her scars. He thought eventually he would get used to them, but he didn't. She pulled on the combat boots that she had revealed, then began the tedious process of wrapping her wrists with long, stained, white bandages. Stained with what, though, he didn't dare to ask.

"What's up with the wardrobe change?" Her shoulders visibly drooped a little, but she couldn't have possibly expected him to not be curious.

"It's mostly for intimidation. If I show up in that," she nodded at the black bag, "There's no way he'll take me seriously. And he also might figure out where I work, which would be generally kinda bad if he doesn't know already. This is- uh- something he recognizes me in. Something I know he won't see as a joke." She finally finished with the wrappings, standing before her friend and tying a red bandanna around her neck.

She definitely did not look like a laughing matter.

Yata, trying to absorb everything she was saying, trying to solve the significance of this strange outfit, noticed she was shaking. He could tell it wasn't fear but… her expression seemed not to notice at all.

"Akane… you're shivering."

She looked down at herself, watching her own legs shake like they weren't attached to her, like they were someone else's. "Oh. I guess so. Huh."

The boy was unable to hide the concern on his face as he held out the jacket she had thrown at him before, trying not to think about the strange heft. Actually, he recognized it as one of his own. Which kind of annoyed him. When did she take that? She begrudgingly put it on and checked to make sure the mystery item in the oddly large pocket was still there.

"You didn't notice you were cold?" He always remembered her being so sensitive to it. Always freezing and needing to wear multiple layers in class and anywhere with air conditioning. Winter was hell for her.

She only shrugged and turned her gaze to the ground. "I guess it just doesn't bother me anymore. It hasn't for a while." There was something foreign, distant in her eyes. Something painful. Something he knew he wished he could take from her.

Something he wished he recognized. But he didn't.

* * *

It wasn't long before they came upon it. Vaguely resembling the decrepit building they had just left, this place was a bustling, bright, huge structure at the prime of its life. One wall was a giant hanger door, wide open. And in it were bright lights illuminating a forest of shipping crates. It looked like the opening of the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The strangest part, though, that Yata noticed, was the lack of security. Actually, there were guards everywhere, all fitting the video game goon style henchmen, but there wasn't a single camera. No surveillance. If what was happening over there was as sketchy as Akane made it seem, why were there no cameras?

She motioned to her friend to be quiet and they sneaked up from the back, up to the front corner by the open wall. They crouched hidden in the shadows, out of view of the numerous guards patrolling the entrance.

She whispered as quietly as she ever had, "Ok, this is where you come in." His brow furrowed in confusion and she took a deep breath. "Look, I really don't want you to get involved, like I said. I just-" she paused and gave him an apologetic look, "need a distraction."

"You've gotta be fuckin' kidding me."

"I'm sorry!" They were whisper yelling at each other now, "It's the only way to avoid a huge fight. I just need the guys by the door out of the way so I can sneak in. And then you can shake them off and I'll meet you up at the road where we came in."

She ignored his irritated mumbling and did her best to get a good look around the corner.

 _Three there, some over there… I only need a couple of them out of the way to give me an opening._

"Yata, listen to me." She turned back around and gave the irritated boy a serious look, "I really wanna be able to do this without a huge fight."

"Isn't that what a distraction _is_?"

"Yata…" Her voice had a tinge of warning in it, "No. Bad fire demon."

"But-"

" _No_!" He shushed her when she accidentally forgot they were supposed to be whispering. "Shit." They waited a moment until they were sure the coast was clear. "I told you. I'm not gonna let you get hurt. Not a _scratch_ , ok?"

"You make me sound like a car."

"I'm trying to be serious here."

"Ok. Ok fine. Just a distraction." She released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. "Under one condition."

"What?!" She glared at him as he stood and started twirling his baseball bat around.

"You have to promise you won't get hurt either." He held up one hand, with his pinky finger sticking out in an awkward fashion. She gave him a small smile and a playfully annoyed eye roll, doing the same back as he stood before her. And a curt nod of her head later he was stepping out of the shadows and into a glimpse of her world.

* * *

 _"Don't be ridiculous, you were totally seeing things you guys." A thirteen year old Akane mildly laughed at her friends as she dug through her locker, pretending to care about its contents._

 _"I saw what I saw, Hane. You gotta believe me! Tell her, Saru, you were there."_

 _"Yeah. I saw it." He didn't look up from where he was leaning against the wall a couple lockers down, waiting for her to finish what she was doing so they could go to lunch._

 _"You guys are crazy if you think I'm gonna fall for your little prank. It's 8th grade, haven't you outgrown this by now?" She gave them a_ particularly _judgy look, then proceeded to walk off towards the lunch yard. Yata slammed the locker closed as the two boys followed her._

 _"It's not a prank!"_

 _"So you're trying to tell me that you threw a glass bottle at some_ random ass _guy, he_ drank _it, and then it_ melted _into the cement?!"_

 _"Well when you say it that way of course it sounds ridiculous."_

 _"Misaki. That is word for word how you described it to me."_

 _"Well it's not my fault you aren't able to appreciate how awesome it was." Fushimi quietly clicked his tongue at his friend._

 _"I told you she wouldn't believe us."_

 _"Well you're not exactly helping me convince her."_

 _"Uh yeah, because you're both being ridiculous. It's not real. Magic. Isn't. Real. And that guy sounds like a real creep or a pervert or something. I don't like it."_

 _"For not believing us, you're being awfully critical of this guy, Akane."_

 _She laughed, "Shut up, Saru. I know Homra is real, I just think you're bullshitting about the whole fire thing."_

 _"Yeah yeah, whatever. We'll take you there and show you one of these days. And I thought he was cool."_

 _The strange trio finally reached their destination and Akane fell to the grass in the lunch yard with finality. "Yeah, that's what I'm worried about."_

 _"What'dya mean, Hane?"_

 _"I_ mean _Misaki, that your definition of cool lines up with most people's definitions of dangerous."_

 _"I thought you were cool when we met."_

 _She gave him a pointed look, "Exactly." Neither of them noticed the critical glance that Fushimi took at them for only a split second._

 _"But for real, I don't think those guys are safe. I'm worried that if you go back there you're gonna get hurt or something."_

 _Saru shook his head, "They seemed genuine. I don't believe they had the intention of doing us harm."_

 _She shrugged, "You never really can tell with people." A secretive darkness lurked behind her eyes when she said that. It made the two boys look away uncomfortably. Fushimi went back to playing his game and Yata continued to talk as though he hadn't noticed her little visit to the past she kept so secret from him._

 _"Well I can. There was something about them… I don't know what it was but it made me want to be a part of it. Like they were part of something bigger than themselves. And," he looked back up at her, "I could tell they were strong. Strong enough to help or-or protect people."_

 _"Misaki…" Her tone was sad, as though they were referring to a past conversation. Or tragedy. Either way, Fushimi was glad he hadn't been a part of that. Too many overly dramatic emotions. That's what he told himself at least._

 _"Look, if we all join we'd never have to be afraid of anything, I know it! We'd each have each other's backs a-and we'd be strong enough to protect each other. For real!"_

 _She looked at him and smiled, "Well…" but he could see in her eyes that at least part of her was just trying to humor him, "…it's a nice dream. I guess I could stand behind that. I'll scope it out with you guys one day, sure. Why not?" Another shrug. "But for the record I still think you two are crazy delusional." At least she agreed. At least he had her words behind him, that was the first step to turning them into actions with her. At least he had the chance to show her that he wasn't lying, that it wasn't just a dream. That it could come true._

 _"So you promise you'll come with us some day?" His smile lit up and she couldn't help but be infected by it too._

 _She nodded confidently and held up her hand, "If it'll get you to shut up about this, and if it means I can keep you two morons safe, pinky promise." Their smallest digits locked together for a moment, and an unbreakable bond was formed, albeit awkwardly in the boy's case._

 _There was an impatient sigh, ruining the moment, "Can we eat now, kids?"_

 _The closer friends rolled their eyes and Akane laughed, "Yeah yeah, fine. If we have to, Saruhiko. You guys need to lighten up sometimes." They both glared at her halfheartedly and the curse of seriousness was shattered for the rest of the lunch period._

* * *

The metal bat hit the nearest guard in the head with an incredibly satisfying _clunk!_ and sent the target stumbling. Yata hadn't swung it hard enough to knock the man out, just to irritate him as much as possible and increase his chance of engaging in a chase. If he had been knocked out cold, someone likely would've stayed, reinforcements would have been called, and there would be no way for Akane to sneak past.

She smiled, realizing what a great team they still were, even after all this time. Of course it would be a bumpy road, but she knew that much would never change. She felt it in her bones.

"What the- _HEY!_ GET BACK HERE!" That was her queue. Each of the guards nearest to the door took off after Yata with zero hesitation, leaving the area completely open to infiltrators.

Or furious teenagers who decided that breaking into weapon strongholds would be a perfectly reasonable pastime on a Wednesday night.

The girl pulled the bandanna over her face, shielding the lower half from view and leaving her eyes uncovered to peer into the souls of her victims. Or something like that. Either way, it added to the stealth element of her disguise as she crept into the warehouse. She felt like a crimson ninja. The giant towers of shipping containers gave her a massive metallic forest to creep through as she made her way to where Yuuto had said Takeshi's main office was.

It wasn't difficult. Especially with the lack of cameras. A right here, a left there, a couple of doorways and _bam_ she was there. Standing before the foolishly unlocked door to his room of secrets. She wasted no time strolling through the threshold and flipping on the light.

Her eyes narrowed as she scanned the new environment, silently shutting the door behind her. One wall was entirely composed of windows overlooking the warehouse and its contents. Wall to wall, floor to ceiling, the glass filled its frames without so much as a single smudge tainting its clarity. She felt the urge to put a singe hand print right in the middle of it all. Before it sat a large wooden desk, facing the door she had just walked through, and along the walls were various filing cabinets and other storage units, minuscule compared to the ones flooding the room beyond. On the desk sat a plaque. It read Suzuki Bros. Weaponry Inc.

 _Idiot. Doesn't even bother to hide his fucking name. How overconfident could one moron be?! He does know all this shit is_ illegal _right?_

Suddenly, red lights began to flash and a blaring siren sounded in the aforementioned warehouse. It cast her iron forest in an eerie light, shooting bloodied shadows across the walls. She allowed it to distract her for a moment, feeling a suppressed sense of pride for her small team's accomplishments. Then she got to work.

Jumping frantically from one drawer to the next, she rattled the cabinets and safe doors, finding nothing. Even each of the desk drawers were under lock and key. She could try to break through the locks but… she heard footsteps approaching and a dangerous smile graced her deceptively delicate features. It would be easier to just manipulate the key. She had faith that Yata could escape them all and wait for her for a moment or two… this wouldn't take long, after all.

Rather than trying to run, or hide for a sneak attack, she decided to remain in plain sight. She didn't even try to turn the lights off. Instead, she took her time to walk behind the desk and stand for a moment behind it. Reaching into her pocket, she gently set the shining, golden gun that she had acquired earlier that night on the desk.

Finally, she took a slow, graceful seat in the large leather chair situated at the desk. Godfather style. She fixed a firm glare at the door on the other side of the room and listened to the approaching footsteps, tuning out the sound of sirens.

Now she just had to try not to laugh at her mental image of Suzuki's face when he would open the door.

 _Just a second longer…_

* * *

Takeshi Suzuki made his way through the halls of his powerhouse, an unknowable itch in the back of his mind. A more cautious man would have been worried by this, set on edge by the flashing scarlet lights currently assaulting his retinas. What need did he have to be cautious though? He didn't have time to waste on such ridiculousness like the rest of the world. He was far too important.

Far too powerful.

This place was a testament to that. To his power. His wealth. He knew it was all the same, though, in the scheme of things. The highest bidder stood at the top of the food chain, no matter how you looked at it. Socially, economically, or just in terms of control. If you had the money you could have anything. Anything at all. Why should people be excluded from that? Money lead to power over everything smart enough to recognize its own reflection in a coin.

And he certainly had money.

That's why he wasn't worried. Assassins had been sent to end him before, but he felt no need to stress about it. He was still alive because, obviously, he was meant to be. The cosmic forces at play deemed him worthy of survival. That, and the would-be killers were guaranteed foolish enough to take orders from whoever had the heaviest purse. It didn't anger him, that others wanted him dead. If anything it pleased him that they saw him as a threat. That they offered him pawns to send right back under their noses instead of coming to deal with him themselves.

And once they were no longer useful to him… Well. He had no place for valueless things. He would throw them out with the rest of the trash so they would stop wasting his precious space and time. So they wouldn't breathe away his air. Even that _delightful_ Furutani was no exception to this. He was only a means to an end. The end being the fool carrying Takeshi to a place even higher than his own throne over the crime of Shizume. Hell, this could be the first great stepping stone to overpower Japan itself. Once he was done with this madman, he would be cast out like everyone else. After all, so long as they were below him they were all equally valuable, were they not? They the miserable, _poor_ people?

Plus, he needed Furutani to deal with a particularly annoying pest for him. He didn't want to give her the dignity of a personally launched attack. The last time… that was just supposed to be a warning. But she really pissed him off, especially with those new friends of hers.

He gritted his teeth and his vision tinted red as his mind drifted over to the one exception to his overarching rule of life. It made sense that she was fucking crazy, as he had recently been enlightened on. Another benefit of Furutani's _assistance_. She claimed to have no need for money, and every time they had encountered each other, no matter what he did she just couldn't make sense. Obviously it would be more logical for a homeless freak like that to work for him, but she would have none of it. Something about his morals or something stupid like that. Whatever that meant.

His morals and priorities were flawless. Indisputable. Except by air headed bitches with more than a few screws loose.

Anyway, he still knew that he had no reason to be frightened by her. After all, he had her precious toy. Even if she did come to get him at some point, for whatever delusional reason, he did have leverage. If she killed him then she would never find them again. Sure, it was a one time trick, but it was still a priceless card for him to play on the game board of his plans.

Luckily he wouldn't have to use it for quite a while now. From the Intel he had gathered, she was still quite far from figuring out he was the one who had taken it in the first place. That is, a smile planted itself on his sharply edged face, if she wasn't dead yet. Even if she wasn't, he'd get rid of her eventually. He just needed a little more time, a while longer to get his extermination plans in order. Tracking her down was no easy feat, but in the end he would find her. And he would destroy her life, her ideals, just as she had attempted to shatter his.

He was pulled out of his trance by a stabbing sensation as the alarms planted a killer headache in his parietal lobe. He just had to get to his office and shut them off. Then maybe he could think again.

He reached out to the doorknob without a second thought to the light shining from under the door. It wasn't rare for him to forget leaving it on. After all, it wasn't like he had to worry about the electric bill.

He opened the door.

And immediately went into cardiac arrest.

His eyes went wide and his right hand, still attached to the doorknob, formed a death grip. The color visibly drained from his face, even with the red lights flashing everywhere.

"Hello, Takeshi- _kun_. It's nice to see you again." The bane of his existence sat there, in _his_ chair, at _his_ desk, as terrifying as ever. It was like she had always been there. It shook him to the core, and he knew she could see that. Of course she was wearing that. The mask, the hair. Everything. She was trying to scare him on purpose. Which meant she wanted something. Which meant… _shit_. The realization hit him and he instantly went uncontrollably nauseous.

"To-" His voice cracked and he had to clear his throat while trying not to make his internal swears external, "To what do I owe the pleasure, Hyoushu? This isn't about that little scuffle a month or so back, is it?" The nervous laugh made the corners of her lips twitch.

"You know why I'm here, don't be a smart ass. By the way-" she motioned to the golden handgun sitting on the desk before her and his eyes went even wider, "Thanks for checking in on me. It's good to keep me on my toes, y'know?" She stood and picked up the weapon, letting it hang loosely from her hand at her side, and pulled the bandanna down around her neck. The toxic smile sat in a similar manner upon her delicate features.

He ground his teeth, "I'm afraid I don't know what you're referring to." What did he do? This must be _his_ fault. Michael's. Him and his damn back seat over-lording. Would it kill him to run things by him every now and then? That's why things like this happened, the lack of communication was ridiculously frustrating. That and the other man's delusion of complete and utter control.

"Yeah I guess you wouldn't. Not good enough for your high and mighty complex, huh? Well if some bozo doesn't come in for his shift on Monday it's because I shattered his fucking wrists." The man gulped and sweat began to drip down his face. Her grin broadened and she walked up to him. _Far_ too close to his own comfort. Even though he was almost an entire head taller than her, the way she pinned him down with her startlingly intense gaze, those piercing grey eyes, made him feel as though he was already on his knees.

He shut his mouth and felt his heart hammer in his chest, overcome by fear, as she pushed the barrel of the gun gently under his chin. Was this it? Was she finally going to kill him? No… she couldn't. He was too important for that. Wasn't he? He had finally fully healed from the attack those pesky boys had launched on him all that time ago, and he knew that if her finger twitched barely a centimeter it would leave a mark that he didn't think would leave much room for healing at all. She couldn't kill him. He wasn't ready. There was so much he still had to do. She had to be the one to go first. She had to. She wasn't worthy of this world he walked upon.

"Where is it?" A whisper shared only between the two of them, and even he could barely hear it. He didn't need to. He already knew what she would say. He didn't dare speak, though. Instead he took deep breaths to try to calm the thundering heart within his wiry rib cageHe thought the force of it would shatter his sternum. His eyes locked on a particular corner of the room. Her own narrowed, taking note of the incredibly subtle gesture. Hopefully understanding it.

The gun dropped from its life threatening position and Takeshi stumbled back, a hand clutching at his chest. "Go get it." The words were no longer a gentle, chilling whisper, but instead a forceful, direct command. It left no room for argument or fighting back. With the direct threat temporarily eliminated, he was reminded of the now severely worse pounding in his head.

He winced at the lights flashing through the giant windows before him. "Sh-should I get the alarms first?" All he had to do was get to the phone. She had to let him… it was his only chance. But her snicker did nothing for his confidence and his heart sunk again as she hit a particular button on the phone by his desk. The warehouse went silent and the lights returned to normal. Not that that was any better… the new lighting only added to his fear, confirming that the woman who he had nightmares about was truly in the same room as him once again.

"You didn't really think I'd let you hit the call button under your desk, did you?" His face became even paler and he dared a suppressed glare. The girl plopped triumphantly in the seat and put her feet on his beloved desk, crossing her legs and never taking the gun off its target. "That's right, I know all your little secrets, so don't try anything fucking stupid. Now give me the box, bitch."

Without that stupid box under his control, he couldn't predict what would go wrong with his plans. Mild panic set in when he realized he would have to explain this all to Furutani. While he knew he had power, the other man was physically intimidating and could take him out in a bout of anger without a second thought. He'd done it before, there was no doubt in Suzuki's mind that it could, and likely would, happen again. They couldn't wait to dispose of each other.

It took a couple of tries to get the key in the lock, his hands were shaking so bad. This much fear at once could not possibly be good for him. Surviving that alone would be a miracle.

The metal drawer slid open with a metallic sound and he looked inside. There was only one thing in it. A black box. It was thin, about a foot and a half long, 3 inches wide, and only a couple inches tall. The container was made out of dark wood, carefully polished with only a few scratches and dents at the corners. On one of the long sides there were gold, metal hinges for it to open, and on the other was a mother of pearl inlay of mitsumodoe lining the top half of the side. A symbol of power. Of blood. Of war. The box alone obviously had significant value and quite a few years to it, but he wouldn't dare sell it. The history alone was priceless. It was too late anyway. She was there to reclaim it.

He slowly turned with it in his hands, still shaking, but less. The smile was gone and instead she stared intensely at the box, checking for damage or anything that might tell whether or not it was fake. But it wasn't. He wasn't stupid enough to piss her off even further.

She was standing before him before he even had time to process she was moving. "Took long enough," she whispered. But not to him. Her unnatural obsession with this thing creeped him the hell out.

"There. You got what you wanted. You can leave now." She snatched the box and tucked it under her arm. The one that wasn't holding the gun.

"Hey now, give a girl a minute," That taunting, dangerous smile was back in her eyes and she slowly stepped to stand in front of the window. Gazing down at his operation. Then she gave a heavy sigh and spun the gun so she was holding it backwards. He jumped back as she swung it with all her might and the window shattered into a gaping, angry hole. The gun fell to the floor at her side with a thud muffled by the carpet, and the lights and sirens immediately started back up again.

"You don't deserve that!" He yelled over the deafening noise.

She turned her head only slightly to glare at him, sending a shiver down his spine. Then she pulled her mask back up and responded, "Maybe. But neither do you." The light flashed and she was gone.

Takeshi made a mad dash at the gun she had carelessly left sitting on the ground, and he took aim at her head as he watched her run between the shipping containers below. He allowed himself a short laugh before pulling the trigger. But again, nothing happened.

"Shit! Someone kill that bitch!" He screamed out the window in pure fury, veins popping up on his unnaturally skinny head, and threw the weapon in her direction. It didn't even get close with his weak arms. His brother had been the strong one. He watched her mad dash for the exit from his vantage point, knowing it was useless when some of his men noticed and took off after her.

And for the first time since he had started this life of grandeur, since he had found his true calling, he considered investing in security cameras.

* * *

"Gogogogogo!" She didn't even slow as she approached Yata, traveling at a full sprint. He had been peacefully leaning against a fence by the side of the road where she had told him to wait for her. He hated having to be so… _obedient_. But sometimes it couldn't be helped.

"Eh?" He looked up, surprised, having been lost in his own head, and he almost did a full face plant when she grabbed his sleeve and dragged him with her. And then he was sprinting too. Fun stuff. He regretted not making her stop at Homra to get his skateboard.

The boy looked back in surprise to see that the red lights were flashing again and they were being pursued by six or seven rent-a-thugs. "What the hell did you do?!"

"I got what we came for!" She snapped right back, but he could tell she was starting to run a little short on breath.

"Where are we going?" He felt his heart rate pick up and there was a pleasant, familiar burn in his legs as they ran.

"Just don't stop running!" He fought the urge to argue, and felt some confusion as he began to recognize where they were. But he didn't stop running. And neither did she. Not until they found themselves standing, crouched over and gasping for breath, in her ex-bedroom that she had introduced him to earlier that night. Maybe there was a magical weapon under that floorboard that would save them? Otherwise he saw no point to being in here. They had gained some ground, but it was now being lost. Fast.

"Akane-"

"Shh, c'mere. I've got a plan."

And that's how they ended up hiding in a cramped old closet with bugs crawling around and barely a couple inches of space between them.

He couldn't. He couldn't do this. He couldn't he couldn't he couldn't. Yeah, it was _Akane_ , but _still._ Too close. Way too close. And it didn't help that she was holding that weird box, the cause of this whole ridiculous thing, between them so he was pressed up against her arm. She was just _too. Close._

She ignored the color rising to the boy's face. In a different scenario she probably would've given him endless shit for it, but right now it just wasn't important. She could wait till later. Right now she had to listen. He opened his mouth like he was going to speak, but Akane immediately slapped her free hand over it and shushed him. His eyes sparked with faint anger but he stayed silent. There was nothing he could do about it.

She had her face turned to the flimsy, probably not wood anymore, door. Listening. He did his best to look away, to keep his eyes up or to just close them and try to pretend she wasn't there. Which was difficult since they were pretty much the same height. He was just a little taller than her, couldn't even see the top of her head.

She wasn't paying any attention to him, focusing on whatever was happening, or was about to happen, outside. She always made a face when she was focusing, Yata remembered. She still did. He could see the still distance in her eyes as they darted around like icy pools of glass that always seemed to be seeing more than he possibly could. Her brow was relaxed and he almost let himself smile at one of the few times she wasn't glaring or angry at something. He noticed the healthy shine of her hair and the surprising softness of her hand on his face. As he became mesmerized with the movement of her long eyelashes when she blinked and the sound of her breath, he remembered why it was such a bad idea to be so close to her. Why, in the end, he knew he had pushed her away. Just a little. And even if she hadn't noticed, it had chewed him up on the inside ever since she left.

He thought he was over it. She was his best friend, and she had made it clear that they were _only_ friends, that's all they ever would be. She had told him directly. But that was years ago. That was before she disappeared. He had plenty of time to get over her, to lose the feelings that he constantly denied, and he knew that he would never force anything on her. As long as she was happy so was he, no matter who that might be with. But sometimes it was really fucking difficult. It just didn't make sense to him why.

He couldn't help but love her, no matter what she did or what happened to them. He never stopped.

And that was why he never stopped looking for her. Why he had forgiven her and let her back into his life before they had even found each other again. Why, despite getting into fights and always ending up in the most ridiculous situations, case in point, he always ended up perfectly happy as long as she was there.

He relaxed, but the shade of red in his face didn't subside. His gaze softened and he didn't try to avoid her, but a hint of sadness crept in. He barely noticed the footsteps getting louder and louder outside. How they seemed to pause for a moment, yelling something incoherent, before starting up again and fading away. For good.

Akane let out a breath, louder than its predecessors, then looked over at him, still not quite processing the fact that she had her hand covering his mouth. He instantly panicked and tried to make his expression look annoyed rather than, well, something more embarrassing.

"What?" The sudden volume of her speaking at something more normal than a whisper almost startled him. He just rolled his eyes. And then she jumped out of the closet like a bat outta hell. Screeching like one, too. "MISAKI YATA WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" The high pitch made him wince, but it didn't stop him from laughing his ass off at the same time. "Did you seriously just _lick_ my hand?! Are you A MOTHERFUCKING _PRESCHOOLER_?!"

"For _that_ reaction?! Hell yeah I am!" But at the same time he took no effort to hide his disgust as he wiped his tongue off on his jacket. "Don't tell me where that thing's been."

"Y'know what, maybe I _should_ just to make you suffer. Jesus, that was _nasty_." Then she started laughing, "You haven't pulled anything like that since like 9th grade. I'm kinda proud." She beamed at him, and his grin only widened.

Yeah. He was perfectly happy just like this.

* * *

 **A/N: Ahhh I'm leaving for school in like a week and a half and I'm freaking out but also _super excited_! Also my best friend flew across the country today and I won't see her for a couple months so ha dying**

 **So as far as why this took so long to upload... I would've had it done a couple of weeks ago, and I made an announcement kinda thing on my tumblr when it happened, but my computer freaked the fuck out, I had to get it fixed, and I lost the _whole goddam thing_. SO basically I had to write it twice. And for someone who likes to just give up on things this entire chapter was kind of a mcfricken miracle.**

 **I tried to focus a little more on Yata for this one! Let me know what you think and I hope you liked it!**

 **Don't forget to drop a comment ;P**

 **From Red: I'm afraid she's just going to run away if there is too much pressure. I know that Homra is supposed to be her new start, and that she is learning to adjust to everything as time goes by... But damn the feeling ain't going away. And thank you for bringing back Yuuto, can't wait so see more of him (and the cat )**

 **-Oof true true she good at running. She should try doing a marathon or smth lmao. And you're welcome! At first I wasn't to happy with Yuu, he was just a background character, but I started to develop him more in my head and now I'm attached as _fuck_ and he's my precious beloved child. Oh yeah. And the cat. I guess she's cute too haha**

 **From Kikikitsune18: Yesss! Thank you so much for updating this!**

 **-AAAAHHHH you're so welcome my dude! I hope you still like it even though it's kinda weird as hell**

 **Okie, I'll see you guys soon. The next chapter will be more fangirly fluff but also at the same time good shit if that makes any sense. It won't be as dark and hey look there's blood everywhere well what now kinda thing.**

 **Follow, Favorite, Review, you can do it I promise. And it would make me vvvvvv happy :3 I love your comments so so much, and don't be afraid to PM questions and stuff!**

 **-TFT, lowkey wishing Yata made a fucking move**

 **PS I tried to make the voices creepier and having more different characters this time kinda. Did it work?**


	18. Chapter 18: Behind Closed Doors

**A/N: Heyoooo doin the author's note first just this once. This is more of a half chapter that I thought would add to the finally solidifying story line so far? Anyway I thought a little behind the scenes and faster update would be cool for you guys. Nothin fancy but I hope you do like it and your featured presentation is coming soon to theatres.**

 **You know what to do, until next time!**

 **-TFT, now realizing she accidentally based Takeshi's design off of Fushimi #fuck**

* * *

18

The chair flew across the eerily lit room with a crash as it slammed against a stone wall. A man yelled, borderline screamed, at the top of his lungs incoherently. Absolutely overtaken by fury. Every now and then, a phrase could be heard. And they did nothing to ease Takeshi Suzuki's already frantic mind.

"SHE JUST CAME AND TOOK IT?!" His hands slammed down on the metal table, sending the powerful sound echoing.

"Michael-"

"SHE CAME AND YOU GAVE IT TO HER?!" The furious man stormed up to the arms dealer, grabbing him by the shirt and pushing him back several feet until he was pinned up against the wall. Which wasn't difficult considering his wiry form and Furutani's brute strength. He spoke angrily into Takeshi's face, the smaller man recoiling, "Did you even put up a fight?" After a few seconds of not receiving an answer, Michael dropped him and stormed to the other side of the room again with an angry huff. "How did she find you?"

The loud voice boomed towards him as more of a demand than a question, "I-I don't know, sir. I'm afraid she may have connections we aren't aware of."

"Oh, you don't SAY?!" Another chair went for a free falling joyride.

"I think-" Takeshi cleared his throat, "I think it may be that announcer. The one from the Kobayashi fights. Yuuto Michi."

"Don't be an idiot, Takeshi. He cut off all non-business ties and banned us from those fights since your incident. There's no way in hell he would stay in contact with that-that _freak_. Even if she does continue to deny me, it doesn't change what happened that night." The man was shaking in rage, and the onlooker had to hope he wasn't doing the same out of fear.

"You're right. I apologize, sir. It was foolish of me to think of that." He shuddered slightly from the memories.

He could still see her in him. Hyoushu. Takeshi could tell Michael was even still obsessed with her, though for what reason he had no idea. The stronger man had taken an interest in her ever since he first saw her fights and hardly shut up about her even after she left them all in the dust. It was an obsession. There was no doubt about it. But aside from their apparent blood lust, the two couldn't appear to be any more different.

The man's fury reminded Takeshi of a raging storm. Usually there was but a mild wind, he didn't let simple aggravation or annoyance show. He believed it brought on weakness. But when he was mad, truly, purely angry, he became an unstoppable raging force. As he had just demonstrated, he would go off the chain and it was a rare occurrence for those present to all leave the room alive.

But neither of them were to be reckoned with.

Hyoushu may show her anger differently, but it was no less intimidating and no less powerful. When the two butted heads it was a sight to see, like the ocean beating at a seaside cliff. Strong. Unstoppable. And it would kill anyone who got caught in between.

Whereas the mobster would go off like a nuclear bomb when provoked enough, the girl would make the exact opposite transition. She would switch in a split second from being her usual loud, harmless self to something… quieter. More menacing. The presence you feel behind your back as you walk through a quiet forest, sure that you're alone. She was the predator lurking silently in the bushes.

Equally unavoidable, death by Michael's hand could be seen from a mile away, but you wouldn't realize she had attacked until you were already choking on your own blood on the ground. Takeshi just had to choose which hand he didn't want to die by. He constantly tried not to think about the other side of that decision.

For now Furutani was a good guard dog. No, not so much a domesticated, loyal pet as a growling wolf that could crunch his jugular at any second. It often left him wondering who was really in control.

Suddenly the other man's demeanor did a full 360. He stood tall, composed, and lightly tugged at the sleeves of his suit. Takeshi narrowed his eyes. It set him on edge. Although, everything set him on edge these days.

"Are you done now?" Yes, maybe he wasn't in control at the moment. Maybe he was being used when he thought he was the user. Maybe Furutani was smarter than he was given credit for. But that would soon change. He would have to be sure of it.

"If I find out you have some sort of soft spot for the little pest…"

"Of course not, sir. Even if I wanted to be able to tolerate her, how could I ever look into the eyes of my brother's killer and see an ally?"

Michael cleared his throat, but not in the weak, terrified manner that Suzuki had. Even this demanded attention and utmost respect. "Well then, I assume you know what must be done, Mr. Suzuki?" The words resonated deeply, darkly, and something else stirred in Takeshi.

Fear disappeared and in its place stood morbid hope, a hatred soon to be fulfilled, coming to light now that he was sure he would be walking out of the horrifying room on his own two legs. But he had to be sure. He had to suffocate this hope, his overpowering urge to smile until he was absolutely sure of what his partner was insinuating.

"Sir?" The other man looked over for a moment, the dim lighting showing off the strong edges of his face as he himself allowed a small smile. A menacing smile. And he turned to the large back wall of the Furutani Manor's Armory. The wall that had hundreds of guns and types of ammo displayed for all his enemies to see and fear. He lightly ran his hand over a couple of the nearest murder machines, none of them unused, and the pleasure in his face became even more apparent.

"We have a leopard to hunt." And Takeshi Suzuki burst into uncontrollable, joyous laughter.


End file.
